Kyle Barnes of the Northwest Shito-Kai Karate (NWSK) School became a Canadian National Champion on Jan. 31.
Barnes earned himself a Gold and Bronze medal at the 2016 National Karate Championships in Richmond. Barnes, 12, was one of two members of the NWSK school who earned a spot on this 2016 BC Karate team. He competed in the youth elite division, which consisted of boys aged 12 and 13.
In the Kata (forms event), Barnes definitely put on the top performance of his young career and was able to make his way to the medal rounds and earn a third place finish after defeating Quebec in his final match.
Later the same day, Barnes suited up to compete in the Youth -35kg Kumite (fighting) division.
His semi-final match was against Quebec where he was able to secure a 6-1 victory and move into finals where his opponent was his teammate from B.C.
In the final, Barnes was able come out on top with a 6-3 victory crowning him Canadian Champion.
This was Barnes’ first showing at the nationals and he is now hoping to join team Canada and earn a spot at an international event such as the Junior Pan Ams or Junior World Championships.
Barnes’ teammate Alexander Movold also had privilege of representing B.C. at Nationals. Although he did not earn any medals at the event, Movold was able to demonstrate true sportsmanship to all in attendance. He was indeed disappointed that he did not place in the top three but his true character was on display and he bounced back from disappointment as a true champion.
Movold will also have the opportunity to acquire grand prix points and potentially earn a spot on the Canadian squad.
These two young athletes have been training for this event since last May. They have made great progress in their training in such a short time and have really gained some momentum with their development.
Barnes and Movold are now in preparation for the BC Winter Games along with teammate Daniel Wood. The B.C. games will be held at the end of February in Penticton.