Podium finishes for five Sansum Martial Arts athletes at Scottish National Karate Championships
A QUINTET of Sansum Martial Arts athletes achieved podium finishes at the WUKF Scottish National Karate Championships in Dundee.
On June 1, 14 of Sansum's elite athletes took part in the competition at the Regional Performance Centre in Dundee.
The event featured more than 700 athletes from the United Kingdom and Europe - but the young team from Sansum Martial Arts firmly established Moray's martial-arting reputation.
Poppy Douglas (13), from Lossiemouth, and Katie Barley (8), from Elgin, collected gold medals, with a silver going to Sebastian Sansum (13), from Lossiemouth.
Bronze medals went to Elgin’s Cara-Louise King (16) and Lossiemouth’s Blake Sansum (13).
Grand Master Lee Sansum said: “I was thrilled with everyone’s performance.
“For such a young and relatively inexperienced team, we are quickly being noticed for our fighting attitude and exceptional skills.
“Our unique training blend, incorporating karate, kickboxing, and taekwondo, has clearly paid off.
“The support from our travelling fans, the loudest in the arena, was incredible, reinforcing our strong family spirit and helping all our athletes excel.”
A week earlier, more than 300 students and supporters from Forres, Dufftown, Kinloss, Keith, and Elgin gathered at the town hall in Lossiemouth for the Spring SMA Championships.
These bi-annual championships are designed to challenge students within their peer groups, promoting resilience and confidence.
Former Olympic athlete and head trainer, Damon Sansum, said: “This was a chance for our junior and intermediate students to meet new friends from all our clubs, enjoy sport, and, more importantly, understand that participation and performance are more important than winning.
“At Sansum Martial Arts, we promote fearlessness within our clubs to help young people thrive amid the pressures of social media and peer influences.
“We are incredibly proud of all our students and grateful to their parents for their unwavering support.
“These tournaments also allow us to spot new talent for our Sport Scotland award-winning Child Development Programme, potentially paving the way to international representation and even the Olympic team.”
Sansum Martial Arts invites parents to bring children along to free trial classes. For more information, call or text 07775918079 or visit sansumkickboxing.com.
