BUCS Karate finals
Birmingham University had brought a strong team to the national finals in the hope of bringing home medals in the Kumite on the Sunday. However, this proved to be a tough task as Isabelle Toy, Agota Mockute and Alexander Fewster were unable to progress further than the second round, the latter picking up a foot injury.
On their BUCS Gatorade finals debut, Stephen Pollard and Michael Hopkinson both impressed in the first round with convincing victories. However in the second round they were unlucky to receive tough draws bringing their winning run to an unfortunate halt. Focus then shifted to Dimitri Mulkern as he powered through the first round. He looked unstoppable before drawing one of the strongest competitors in the second round of the competition and disappointingly losing in a closely fought match.
As the day drew to a close Ben Slater and his team mate David Thomas set to work in the men’s Kumite U84kg.Thomas resoundingly beat his first opponent 9-0 before winning his second round match on qualification. However, it was Slater who was beginning to catch the eye of spectators, comfortably eliminating his opponents.
Eventually David Thomas fell in the third round, narrowly missing out on a bronze medal, shifting all focus to Slater for what was to be an exciting climax. Huge crowds were gathering as Slater sat quietly listening to music, gaining focus for the final which began in a nervous fashion with both competitors attacking very little and giving nothing away. However the fight soon began to pick up the pace, but both Slater and his opponent were solid in defence. Slater’s extra aggression was eye catching and it was this that swayed the umpire’s decision, awarding him victory in a nail biting close to the match.
Slater later said ‘I thought I was fighting well and might just win it.’ He went on to say it was purely down to ‘hard work’ that eventually handed him the victory, and no one could deny that he deserved it.
The late gold for Slater and Birmingham brought the day to a satisfying close, summing up the dedication and hard work the team have displayed all year.
Michael Powell
BUCS Gatorade National Finals Day 2 Karate Part 4 – Slater Qualification and Thomas 23/02/14 by Burnfm_Sport on Mixcloud
BUCS Gatorade National Finals Day 2 Karate Part 4 – interview with team captain 23/02/14 by Burnfm_Sport on Mixcloud
BUCS Gatorade National Finals Day 2 Karate Part 2 – Pollard, Hopkinson and Mulkern 23/02/14 by Burnfm_Sport on Mixcloud
