A report on the 23rd International Dhammika Cup 2024
On 16 November 2024, the 23rd International Dhammika Cup took place in the Langhanssporthalle in Beilstein. The evening before, a motivated team of helpers prepared everything for the big day.
The competition day began punctually at 9 a.m. with a welcome from the host and the head referee. An atmosphere of tense anticipation was in the air, both among the athletes and the coaches. Numerous parents and spectators watched the competitions on the four tatamis with great enthusiasm.
The competitions began with the kata category, in which the athletes presented a set sequence of karate techniques in the form of a shadow fight. The judges assessed precision, speed, athleticism, the level of difficulty of the kata and expression.
In the Kobudo category, the participants demonstrated their skills in handling traditional Japanese weapons such as the bo staff or the tonfa. This was followed by the kumite competitions, in which two fighters competed against each other in a combat. Points were awarded for the successful execution of karate techniques, and a fight lasted 1.5 minutes for kids & cadets and 2 minutes for adults.
The Dhammika Karate-Do competition team achieved an impressive result with a total of 5 gold, 8 silver and 9 bronze medals and made the event day even more enjoyable.
The placings at a glance:
DKD Abstatt: Aurelia G. won gold in the female kids’ kata category, while Emma K. took silver in the same category. Linda S. came fourth in the senior women’s kata individual category. The Abstatt dojo additionally placed third in the Kata Team category. In kumite, Philip K. won silver in the senior men’s +78 kg category. The Kumite team also finished in second place.
DKD Amorbach (Bavaria): Oxana T. won silver in the category Kata Ü30 single women. Levin B. achieved bronze in the kids’ kumite individual boys category, and Amir C. took bronze in the youth kumite individual boys category.
DKD Besigheim: Jens H. achieved third place in the male mini-kids Kata category.
DKD Ditzingen: Luke d. S. won gold in the male cadets Kata category, and Leon d. S. took gold in the male youth Kata category. Stefanie D. came third in the female Kata +30yrs category.
DKD Ilsfeld: Emilia M. won gold in the female junior Kata category, while Abdullah S. took fourth place in the male youth Kata category.
DKD Kirchheim am Neckar: Tom L., Mia L. and Emma S. won the first three places in Kobudo. Tom L. also won gold in the male mini-kids Kata category, and Emilian W. took silver in the male cadets Kata category.
DKD Seebronn: Sanidu H. achieved bronze in the male youth Kata category. Chandra H. won bronze in the senior men’s kata individual category and silver in the +45yrs category.
These results show the strength and engagement of the Dhammika Karate Dojos and their talented karateka. Congratulations to all participants and winners!
Shihan Athula Mintihanthri, the founder of Dhammika, was very satisfied with the smooth and harmonious organisation of the tournament. Special thanks go to the numerous helpers who contributed to the success of the event.