THREE athletes from a martial arts club in Nollamara will be jetting off to Melbourne for the Australian Karate Federation National Championships in August.
Shobukan Martial Arts Club Nollamara members Russell Dhatt (35), Isaac James and Benjamin Quinn (10) will represent WA at the national championships.
Head instructor Mark Golding said the trio were working hard to be prepared for the tournament.
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READ NOW“Russell is a seasoned competitor, he has represented the state on many occasions previously and did very well on a national level,” he said.
“Isaac being so young, this will be his second national championships so he has benefitted from another year of training and having experiences gained from the competition at the national championships last year.
“Benjamin is making his debut so this will be the first time he will be representing the state.”
Golding said he hoped his younger charges achieved some success.
“They are showing promise and talent for their age that has granted their selection to represent Western Australia at the national championships,” he said.
He said Dhatt was familiar with the standard and ability of athletes across Australia.
“Russell has been quite consistent over the years, he has medalled on several occasions previously so it is just another opportunity for him to test his skill and ability,” he said.
“He has just got to make sure, like every athlete does, that his preparation is good and the physical and mental preparation going into the event is solid and that would put him in the best possible position.”
Dhatt said his preparation was more challenging due to his recovery from a knee injury.
“My surgery was eight or nine weeks ago, it was just a meniscus injury to the knee,” he said.
“It has been a bit slow because trying to train on it and have some rehab has been a bit difficult.”
Dhatt, a 23-year veteran, said he would make every effort to be ready and win the event.
The AKF National Championships will be held in Melbourne on August 12 to 16.