Bronze medal for Stewart in World Championships

National champions from all over the world took part in a gruelling day of full contact combat and Stewart did Team GB proud to secure third place in the +90kg heavyweight division.

There were more podium places for the Wakefield club at the Welsh Open, at Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Centre, returning home with four podium placings.

Anas Malik, competing in the U14s age group finished third, as did Ismail Zulfiqar in the novice heavyweight competition.

And there were second place finishes for Anekh Sandhu, in the U16s, and Marek Makarowski, in the veterans middleweight.

Kyokushinkai is a full contact Karate with traditional values rooted is a philosophy of hard training.

The club members practice Kata which translates as 'form'; a series of techniques performed in a specific sequence, simulating combat against imagery opponents.

It serves as a method for practitioners to memorize and perfect their movement, incorporating highly practical combat techniques that have been refined over centuries.

Students are graded every three months on these katas and their basic techniques. For those students that want to test their skills in a safe and controlled environment, the club has ‘knockdown' full contact fighting tournaments throughout the year.

West Yorkshire Kyokushin trains at Wakefield Karate College, Thompson's Yard, Wakefield WF1 2TP on Thursdays from 7pm. For more information visit West Yorkshire Karate Kyokushin on Instagram and facebook.com/westyorkshirekarate