Alice girl wins gold medal

CHELSEA Pomfret has won the gold medal at the Australasian Shotokan Karate Championships in Queensland.

Chelsea Pomfret at 1st TSKF Australasian Championships with Mark Ellis from the Alice as well watching on.

CHELSEA Pomfret won the gold medal at the Australasian Shotokan Karate Championships in Queensland’s Runaway Bay on March 13.

The 10-year-old showed her mental strength by recovering from the disappointment of missing out in the under-150cm 1-3 kyu kata form of martial arts to win five matches to make the final in the kumite class.

Chelsea then comprehensively defeated South Australian Trent Harrison in the decider.

She was later presented with the Junior Spirit of Karate award by Shotokon Master Takahashi Shihan.

Proud father Mitch Pomfret said Chelsea only just made the grand final.

“It was a split decision in the semi-finals where she was evenly matched,” Mitch said.

“What was surprising was that it was expected that Chelsea would’ve done better in the kata, but instead it was in the other category that she did well.

“I think that her losing in the second round of kata really stung her and she beat that girl in the kumite semi-final — the same girl who knocked her out of the kata second round,” Pomfret said.

A highlight of the week for the youngster was training with the Australian squad.

Chelsea’s Alice Springs’ teammates Cassie Coleman, Bethany Walsh and Ffion Jones achieved their personal best with a score of 18.4 in the team kata category.

Out of 10 teams, the Centralian trio did themselves proud in a tight competition where there was little margin for error.

Senior black belt-graded Danielle Schaeche put in a valiant effort but was upstaged in the first round of kata and the kumite classes.

James Walsh, ranked in the under-150cm 10-7 graded kyu, was eliminated in the first rounds of both the kata and kumite.

James’ sister Bethany, in the same classes but in the 6-4 kyu was beaten in the first rounds as well.

Ffion, in the 1-3 kyu, made the second round of the kata but was outclassed in the first stage of the kumite.

Cassie made it through to the second round of the 6-4 kyu kata but was beaten in the first round of kumite.

Jesse Lowe, in the 150-170cm height division, made the second round in both the 6-4 kyu kata and kumite.

The event also included a three-day seminar under Shotokon Master Takahashi Shihan which included six-hour days of learning this ancient form of martial arts.