A Summerland athlete returned from the B.C. Winter Games in Kamloops with four medals, including a gold.
Jaydon Davis, 13, has been in karate since he was eight years old. He is a member of Taneda Karate Dojo.
In late February, 15 karate athletes from Zone 2 (Thompson Okanagan) competed at the winter games.
The karate portion of the games is run by Karate B.C., the provincial sport organization for karate in the province.
The 15 athletes took home five golds, six silvers and seven bronzes.
Davis won gold in boys intermediate Kumite +155cm, Bronze in boys intermediate open height Kumite, and was part of the boys Team Kata that won silver and the boys team Kumite that won bronze.
Kumite is sparring in Kelowna.
Davis said the competition at the games was tough.
“I had to work really hard,” he said.
Participants are judged on how they move, and even a slight difference can be the difference between gaining or losing points in the matches.
There are four referees at the matches, one in each corner. Matches last for a minute and a half.
Because the time frame is so short, athletes must be focussed on their game, Davis said.
“You can’t waste any time, because 90 seconds isn’t that much,” he said.
Other medal winners from the zone included Ali Welliver with three golds, Timur McNern with three silvers and one bronze, Lauren Reid with one gold, Mikayla Krogstad with a silver and Lily Leggott, Hayden Meyer, Thaddeus Enns and Sarah Stuij who each won bronze.
The team is coached by Chris Taneda, Michelle Taneda and Caitlyn Riddle.
