“IT WAS a great challenge for us, especially the youngsters, but in the end, it was well worth it.”

These are the words of Kaicho Hoosain Narker, the Cape Town-based world leader of Ashihara Karate. Narker recently accompanied four young karateka from Cape Town on a 28-day tour of India and Ethiopia. The trip took place during December and January.

According to Narker the tour included training camps and visits to 21 cities across India. Sadiya and Rabia Narker, Taygan Brown and Zachary Hendricks are the four young students who undertook the tour with Narker.

The highlight of the trip was the Ashihara India National Championships held in Mumbai on 12 January 2025.

Taygan won a gold medal for kata and kumite in the under-14 division and Zachary won a special prize for his exceptional demonstration skills in the under-16 division. The star of the show without doubt was 14-year-old Sadiya who won gold for fighting and kata. She was also awarded the top prize for the best female competitor of the tournament.

The 18-year-old Rabia could not compete as she was appointed tournament director, her first such experience at international level.

Kaicho Narker concludes: “I am really very proud of what we have achieved on this trip. I hope it serves as an inspiration to our youth here at home to reach for their dreams.”