MUSCAT: Competition heated up at the 11th Shotokan Karate Centre Open Championship, with clubs and academies from 10 countries battling for top honours in both kata and kumite events. The tournament is being held as part of the Muscat Nights festival.
The official opening ceremony took place on Friday at Ahli Sidab Sports Hall in Darsait under the auspices of Sayyid Shabib bin Harib Al Busaidy, Director-General of Muscat Municipality.
The official opening ceremony featured wheelchair kata and kumite events, a special kata performance by a child with Down syndrome, and the recognition of referees and winners.
The day’s contests delivered plenty of excitement and challenge. In the under-6 kumite (under 20kg), Nasr al Maamari of Al Qudra Club secured first place, followed by Marwan al Jalndani of Samayil Eagles, while Al Harith al Harrasi and Faris al Sulaimani shared third.
In the 7-year boys’ kata, Taimoor Nasser of Karate Champions claimed gold, with team-mate Abdullah Ishaq finishing second. Zhang Chengyuan and Mohammed Ayman shared third place. In the same age group’s kumite, Aws al Ghabshi of Al Qudra won gold in the under-20kg division, while Noah Benny Peter of Aiki School of Martial Arts topped the under-25kg category.
The boys’ 9-year kumite (30kg and above) saw Hisham al Maskari of Al Qudra claim gold, with Mutaz al Muharbi of Samayil second, while Ahmed al Zadjali and Daniel Thomas shared third. In the girls’ kumite (under 30kg), Navira J K finished first, followed by Sanvika Ashbind, while Yamama al Rawahi and Razan Mustafa shared bronze.
The under-10 open divisions also witnessed strong performances, with Yusr Sayed Nasr of Tawar winning both kata and kumite titles in the girls’ section, while Aws Rabi Khafajah of Tawar topped the boys’ kumite.
At the team level (8-10 years), the Champ team secured first place in both girls’ kata and kumite, Emperor Academy won the boys’ kata title, and Al Qudra claimed gold in boys’ kumite.
Competitions continued with boys’ kata for the 11, 12 and 13-year categories. In the 11-year division, Hamed al Qasmi of Samayil Eagles finished first, followed by Abdullah Mohammed of Tawar. Wisam al Shuhi and Aryan Joby shared third.
In the 12-year category, Kareem Naseem of Tawar won gold, Johan Chacko of Aiki School took silver, while Ahmed al Nuaimani and Anant Mukul Danji shared third.
In the 13-year division, Aditya Shashikant of The Champ Sports and Arts claimed first place, Brian Dos of Shotokan Centre finished second, while Shihab Ba Omar and Mohammed Zaher shared third.
Fatima al Rasbi expressed her delight at taking part in the championship, describing it as a valuable experience and an important opportunity to test her skills against players from different clubs. She said the strong competition and professional organisation helped her stay focused and perform well, adding that the exposure gained will help her improve and achieve better results in future tournaments.
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