Hana Sawal and India Becroft were two of six athletes from Wagga’s Shinwa-Kai Karate Club that travelled to Sydney for the championships.

India successfully reached the finals of the female cadet (14 and 15 years) kata and won the silver medal.

Hana lost her first round but refocused to win her repechage rounds to take out the bronze medal.

The tournament was particularly important to both girls in their preparation for their next competition – the Australian Karate Federation National Championships in Sydney next month.

Sensei Sawal, Wagga’s Shinwa-Kai Karate Club’s chief coach, was pleased for all competitors who took part in Sydney.

“It is an invaluable experience for the young competitors while for seasoned competitors like Hana and India, the competition serves as a platform for self-improvement in their knowledge and practice of the art,” Sawal said.

“The medal is always a bonus but the emphasis is always about having fun. A kata competitor does not actually compete against another but the athlete is actually competing against oneself by trying to do better each time.”

Aiden Brett, Safiah Sawal and Jamilah Sawal all competed hard in the children’s eight and nine years kata, but lost in the repechage round.

Jett Brill, a newcomer to karate tournaments, performed admirably in the 12 years division.