Ethan Metcalfe, Ben Pitt, Layla Macdonald, Harry Thorn, Harrison Scorrar, Jacob Macintosh, Ryan Denham, Connor Lesurf, Jasper Kidd, Holly Reid, Josh Webb, Jack Evans and Jamie Saddington.

Submitted by Tammy Metcalfe

A talented team of junior athletes from the Kazen Kai Martial Arts Club will travel to Miami to compete in the 2022 EUKF Karate World Championships in July.

Aged 12 to 16, the group will represent England with their coaches Sensei Simon and Sensei Neil cheering them on along the way.

The Kazen Kai Martial Arts Association was formed in 2001 and opened its first full-time martial arts center in Hutton, near Brentwood, Essex, in 2002.

Kazen Kai is one of the founding members of the English Karate Federation (EKF), which is the governing body for karate in England.

After a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the athletes are thrilled to be able to compete again and are proud to represent Kazen Kai in Miami.

For seven of the junior athletes, this will be their second world championship tournament.

Ben Pitt, who has represented England since the age of eight, has already won several medals for his country, including a silver medal in individual kumite at the 2019 World Championships in Bratislava.

Other young medal-winning athletes include Ethan Metcalfe, who has two bronze medals in individual and team sparring, Connor Lesurf, who holds a bronze medal in team sparring, and Layla Macdonald, who also won a bronze medal. in team combat.

All of their previous successes came at the 2019 World Championships.

Although competitions only returned in September last year, the hard-working young athletes have already won dozens of medals at regional competitions, including many gold, silver and bronze medals in individual and team events.

For more information on Kazen Kai, visit: www.kazenkai.com.

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