🥇 Kaena awarded in Japan with the Gold Medal !
🇨🇭Jean-Marc Schedel
This summer, our national athlete Kaena Schedel proudly represented Switzerland at a major international Ryuei Ryu competition in Naha, Okinawa, the birthplace of karate. She reached the final and achieved an incredible first place in Kata, earning a warm welcome in Japan.
Her gold medal was presented by the President of the Japan Karate Federation, in the presence of the Minister of Education of Japan and the Governor of Okinawa, before a distinguished audience of officials and karate masters. It was a tremendous honour for our country.
Our athlete had also been recognised at the opening ceremony where she was chosen as one of the representative of young international athletes. There, she recited the Sports Ethics Charter in Japanese, on the stage in front of Japanese officials — an impressive challenge at her age, accomplished with brilliance !
Nolan Schedel, No.1 national junior athlete in Switzerland, delivered an exceptional performance as well, winning the silver medal in the U18 category. He was discerned the 3rd Dan diploma for his traditional style in Japan.
To reach these results, Kaena and Nolan trained intensively at the Naha headquarters under the daily supervision of Grand Master Tsuguo Sakumoto (Head of Style) and Sensei Yuka Shimizu (Japan’s national coach), they also benefited from the guidance of Okinawa’s top Ryuei-ryu experts, including Olympic Kata Champion Ryo Kiyuna, as well as Sawada Kaori, Azusa Tomishiro, Arata Kinjo, Takuya Uemura, Ryusei Ikeda, and Kimura Ryujin.
It is worth highlighting that Kaena and her brother Nolan, trained over 4-5 hours each day during 4 weeks and accumulating more than 80 hours of Kata training in Japan, learning directly at the source of this traditional and ancient style of karate.
On the refereeing side, Jean-Marc Schedel officiated throughout the competition weekend, following an advanced referees workshop led by a member of the World Karate Federation Technical Commission, Sensei Dion Panossian (AUS), an invaluable resource, together with Master Sakumoto, who provided key insights into the Ryuei Ryu style. This was an outstanding opportunity to further explore one-by-one, the evaluation criteria for Ryuei Ryu Katas as defined by the WKF rules, in preparation for upcoming major international competitions. An invaluable learning experience for any true karate enthusiast.Photo
A special recognition goes to our head coach, Maya Schedel, for her tireless support throughout the year and her commitment to deepen her knowledge of traditional Okinawan Kobudo, which is closely linked to a deeper understanding of the advanced kata of this unique and effective Ryuei Ryu style.
Outstanding results in Okinawa, the birthplace of karate :
🏆 Kaena Schedel (14) wins Gold in Traditional Kata and earns her Ryuei-ryu 2nd Dan, awarded by one of the greatest masters of our time.
🥈 Nolan Schedel (17) takes Silver in the U18 category and passed his 3rd Dan diploma, in front of the complete Ryuei-ryu technical commission.
🥋 Spiro Latsis (18) and Line Reda (13) successfully passed their black belt exams in Japan, under the official standards of the Ryuei Ryu style, and marks an important milestone in their karate personal development.
These remarkable results highlight not only the talent and dedication of the athletes but also the high quality of Ryuei Ryu training in Lausanne.
👏 Congratulations to the entire team for carrying the values of traditional karate beyond borders and making Switzerland shine on the tatamis of Okinawa.
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