Sharples Group colleague Rebecca attended the championships on 20th June with her teammates from the AKA (All-Styles Karate Alliance). As a whole, the team of 20 athletes was placed 23rd out of 84 achieving a fantastic 13 medals.

Rebecca said “I’m extremely happy and proud of the whole team. Personally, I got a Bronze in my Kumite which is fighting. I also competed in the Kata categories, demonstrating a series of defensive and attacking moves. Although I didn’t manage to place, I’m really proud of my performances. Overall, the team had an amazing time and I really enjoyed myself. Now the training starts for next year… no rest! After this competition it makes you want to train really hard, ready for the next one to hopefully come back better and stronger.”

The 4-day competition wasn’t without its own challenges. The days were long with 7am starts and competitions running through to 10pm and 11pm in the evening.

Rebecca adds, “After a very exhausting four days of competition we actually had one day free, when we could relax. As a team we took this time to get the train to Vienna and be tourists! This city is amazing and so beautiful. It was amazing to relax after such an intense few days and to actually get to see some of the gorgeous place we had gone to. Usually this doesn’t happen!”

Rebecca is now back on ‘the day job’ at Sharples Group HQ and we couldn’t be prouder of her achievements. And as she returns to her karate training, we want to say, “Rebecca, we’re behind you 100%!”