EVENT Three of this season’s Welsh Karate League, held at Penarth Leisure Centre on September 27, was another hugely successful one for Vale Karate as the squad won nine gold medals, 12 silvers and 14 bronzes.

Vale Karate’s classes for young people with disabilities and special needs delivered four medals in their Special Needs category with Bradley James taking the gold medal in the Under-14 category, ahead of Jared Butcher in silver medal position with Lucas Widdrington winning the bronze medal.

Asa Madsen took the silver in the 14 years plus category.

Josh Dwyer and Harrison Williams, competing as the Vale Vipers, remained unbeaten this season, in the pairs kata event, taking their third straight gold medal, beating their teammates Max Baker and Jack George (the Vale Falcons) in the final.

Vale Karate had all four medallists in the Under-8 Girls Kata event, with eight-year-old Daisy Vann taking her third gold medal of the season, beating first timer Talia Efstathiou, seven, in the final.

Vale Karate’s youngest competitors, Amelie Fisher, six, and Angel Manayani, five, were in joint bronze medal position.

The Under-10 Girls Kata was another all-Vale final, however a surprise was in store as Ellie Jayne Farrugia took her first ever gold medal, beating Ella Lyons, the winner of the first two events, in the final.

Griff Hughes and Chiara Baker both 11-years-old and both winners of WUKF European medals, each won their own half of the draw in the Under-16 Shotokan event to meet in the final.

Each is being pushed by the other to greater heights and their final was very impressive. Griff was judged to have the edge and rewarded with a gold medal. Emma Squire took the bronze medal.

Chiara went on to take two further medals, a bronze in the U12 Kata and a silver in the U12 Girls kumite.

Little Greg James always has to battle bigger opponents, but this little warrior lacks nothing in determination or bravery and against the odds took the gold medal.

Teammate Nathan Shepherd, silver medallist in WKL I and champion in WKL II took the bronze to hold a full set this season. Nathan also took an Under-10 Kata bronze.

Jack George has bucket loads of talent and overcame the odds to beat the illustrious Josh Dwyer, the newly crowned British International Open Champion in the final of the U14 Boys Kumite to take the gold medal.

Neither Finnian O’Donovan nor Sam Stacey managed to progress to the individual medal positions in the under-12’s however they were on fire in the team event and joined by Chiara Baker, Vale beat Cardiff and Wattstown to take the gold medal.

Leah Copeland is always in with a shout at two gold medals as she is equally adept at both Kata and Kumite. She was surprisingly beaten in the Kata final, but was not to be denied in Kumite and showed that the standard she displayed at the British International Open, when she took two Kumite Golds was no fluke as she conceded just one point and scored 19 on her way to her third consecutive WKL Kumite gold medal.

Vale Karate entered competitors in 22 categories, earning medals in 20. There are several events on the horizon with the next WKL event; WKL IV taking place in Bridgend on November 1.