K.A.S.A. Senior Championships 2001

Left to right: Tyrone, Saville and Bryan

The official South African All-Styles Senior Karate Championship held on 23/24 February in Kimberley in the Northern Cape proved to be a most successful venture for the Karate-no-Michi South Africa National Kata Team of Bryan Dukas, Tyrone Theodorides and Saville Dorfman.

Saville Dorfman

Bryan Dukas

Competing under the provincial banner of Central Gauteng, the team took the Unison team title by a large margin, and then individually went on to take the gold medal (Bryan Dukas), and the two joint 3rd place bronze medals (Tyrone Theodorides and Saville Dorfman).

Unfortunately, there had to be a loser in the semi-final bout between team mates Bryan and Tyrone, who were drawn in the top half of the draw.

Tyrone Theodorides

In the other half of the draw, after losing in the 3rd round to the eventual runner up by two flags to one, 16 year old Saville came back strongly in the reperchage system, including defeating former Protea team member Mark Wainman of Southern Gauteng by a unanimous judges decision, to take the 3rd place bronze medal.

Bryan Dukas then went on to collect his third medal, a bronze in the under 65 kgs kumite division, making him the only male competitor to do so in this championship - a deserving result for such a committed karateka.

Bronze medals for kumite were taken by Karate-no-Michi S.A members Sonja Kummer of Headquarters, also competing for the Central Gauteng team, and Natasha Raath of Kuruman/Kathu Dojo, competing for Northern Cape, in the under 53 kgs division.

Natasha Raath

Currently in Europe, and conspicuous by his absence, was the Protea national team captain, Shane Dorfman, who for the past 18 years, since the age of 7, has never missed a South African All Styles Championship, junior or senior, nor ever in any year, not been the South African Champion in either Kata or Kumite or both.