Anthony gets rugby revenge over Japan in karate

Up steps Dalpark resident and Dan Triangle Karate Club member Christopher Anthony (24) who, along with two fellow compatriots, managed to achieve some sort of revenge in Karatenomichi World Federation (KWF) karate, over Japan, at the recent KWF World Cup, held in Chitose, Hokkaido.

Anthony and teammates Coenraad Malan and Moses Sebopa, under the guidance of chief instructor shihan Malcolm Dorfman, went all the way to the senior male team kumite final, where they defeated the Japanese fighters 2-1 to claim gold and exact some sort of revenge for the humiliation of that Springbok loss.

The team beat India and Brazil on their road to the final.

“It [the competition] had different rules to All Styles, it was more traditional karate and the fights were only two-point deciders,” he told the Herald.

“You could be eliminated from the very start, so you had to be wide awake.”

The Brakpan karateka, who has been practicing the sport since the age of four years old, under the tutelage of his father, Chris, also put up a fantastic individual display over seven fights, to win bronze in senior men’s kumite category.

“The Japanese are extremely polite people,” he added.

“There was a bit of teasing from the Japanese, but they are really nice people and we are all friends in karate.”

The South Africans also had the fantastic opportunity to train with revered karate master and living legend Mikio Yahara (eighth Dan), which Anthony described as an “amazing experience”.

“He stresses getting your basics right and it was just incredibly motivating to see how he does things, how he moves at that age and his dynamics,” he said.

“It was incredibly inspiring and motivating.”

Anthony said that these achievements are right up there as one of the highlights of his karate career.

He thanked his father for all the years of support and his teammates and instructor for helping him achieve these successes.