The 1st WKA World Karate Championships took place in the beautiful Netto Arena Hall in Szczecin, Poland. Over 500 athletes competed from 26 countries (Australia, Brazil, Malta, Luxemburg, England, Czech Republic, Belgium and various other countries). Over 3 days our athletes competed in individual and team, kata and kumite categories. Sport Karate Coalition was represented by 6 competitors. We brought home 18 medal positions, 10 x Gold, 5 x Silver and 3 x Bronze.
It is a shame this competition took place just after the summer holidays as most of our students spent their time relaxing on holiday. If the competition had taken place a few weeks later Sport Karate Coalition would have been represented by a larger sum of students and our athletes would have been far better prepared. This trip primarily focused on sport however we had some time to explore the city of Szczecin. During the competition we had time to converse with other coaches and competitors with the aim of learning something new and creating new experiences. 
My preparations for this competition took 6 months, this was divided into strength, endurance and speed training. During my preparation period I participated in a few karate competitions in order to test my abilities and reflect upon things I must change. The most important period in my preparation was my trip to The Dominican Republic, where in peace and tranquility I could polish my skills. After my preparations I was certain my body would be able to handle the competition, the pressure, the activity and everything associated with my starts.
On my journey towards a Gold medal I had to fight a lot of talented and experienced fighters who had a lot of medals from previous World Karate Championships. If you want to be the best, you have to fight against the best.
Our journey began by meeting our SKC team at London Stansted Airport on Thursday at 2:30am. The flight took 1hr40min. Once we landed we headed straight to the hotel where the document checks were taking place, this included checking our weight, paying fees and checking documents. The first day was based upon acclimatization and rest. Towards the end of the first day our Sport Karate Coalition athletes Kaja, Kuba and Calypso took part in the technical seminar which was led by Andrea Calzola, a multimedalist from World Karate Championships. 
On the next day the competition started at 08:00, on this day I participated in my individual and team categories. Tamara, Kaja and Calypso also participated in their team categories.
GOLD:
1. MALE – Kumite (SHOBU IPPON) Individual: ALL GRADES (41 years and over) OPEN WEIGHT – Jacek Lipiński.
2. SENIORS KATA TEAMS MALE – up 21 years plus ALL STYLES – Jacek Lipiński, Krzysztof Chaupka (IKA Poland), Jacek Boguski (Ursus Fight Club).
3. FEMALE – Team Kumite (SHOBU IPPON): ALL GRADES (16 yrs plus) – Tamara Lipińska, Calypso Simon ian, Kaja Połomska.
SILVER:
1. MALE – Individual Kata: ALL GRADES (51 to 60 years) ALL STYLES – Jacek Lipiński.
2. SENIORS FEMALE – Team Kumite (SHOBU SANBON): ALL GRADES (21 yrs plus) – Tamara Lipińska, Calypso Simon ian, Kaja Połomska.
3. MALE – Team Kumite (SHOBU IPPON): ALL GRADES (36 years & over) – Jacek Lipiński, Adam Zietalewicz (Seven Sisters Shotokan Karate Club). , Krzysztof Chaupka (IKA Poland).
BRONZE:
1. SENIORS: FEMALE – Kumite Team Rotation (SHOBU SANBON): ALL GRADES (21 to 35 years) – Tamara Lipińska, Calypso Simonian, Kaja Połomska.
2. MALE – Team Kumite (SHOBU SANBON): ALL GRADES (36 years & over) – Jacek Lipiński, Adam Zietalewicz (Seven Sisters Shotokan Karate Club). , Krzysztof Chaupka (IKA Poland).
The first day of the competition began at 8.00 am and ended after the ceremonial opening of the competition at 21.00.
On the second day of the competition in team and individual categories, started Jakub, Maksymilian (Eagle Institute) and Jan (IKA Poland). This was another successful day.
GOLD
1. CADETS: MALE – Team Kumite (SHOBU SANBON): ALL GRADES (14 to 15 years) – Jakub Woronicz, Maksymilian Kiciewicz, Jan Fatek.
2. CADETS: MAŁE – Kumite Team Rotation (SHOBU SANBON): ALL GRADES (14 to 15 years) – Jakub Woronicz, Maksymilian Kiciewicz, Jan Fatek.
3. CADETS: MALE – Team Kumite (SHOBU IPPON): ALL GRADES (14 to 15 years) – Jakub Woronicz, Maksymilian Kiciewicz, Jan Fatek.
4. CADETS: MAŁE – Kumite (SHOBU IPPON) Individual: ALL GRADES (14 to 15 years) OPEN WEIGHT – Jakub Woronicz.
BRONZE
1. CADETS: MALE – Individual Kata: ALL GRADES (14 to 15 years) SHOTOKAN – Jakub Woronicz. 
A the end of the day at the 1st WKA World Karate Championships, the UKF Professional Gala took place, in which I participated as the coach of Kamil Hejmanowski. After 3 round with his opponent Krystian Patalas, Kamil Hejmanowski won on points. The fight was conducted to a high level with a fast tempo on a stage. We started this day at 08:00 and finished at 22:30, we returned to the hotel tired yet satisfied from our wins.The last day included the final starts from the individual kata and kumite categories of Tamara, Kaja, Calypso and Jakub. This was another successful day for our Sport Karate Coalition athletes.
GOLD
1. SENIORS: FEMALE – Kumite (SHOBU IPPON) Individual: ALL GRADES (21 to 35 years) under 70kg – Tamara Lipińska.
2. JUNIORS: FEMALE – Kumite (SHOBU IPPON).
Individual: ALL GRADES (18 to 20 years) OPEN WEIGHT - Calypso Simonian
3. CADETS: MALE - Kumite (SHOBU SANBON) Individual: ALL GRADES (14 to 15 years) over 75kg - Jakub Woronicz
SILVER
1. JUNIORS: FEMALE - Kumite (SHOBU SANBON) Individual: ALL GRADES (18 to 20 years) under 65kg - Calypso Simonian
2. SENIORS: FEMALE - Kumite (SHOBU IPPON) Individual: ALL GRADES (21 to 35 years) under 70kg - Kaja Polomska
BRONZE
1. CADETS: MALE - Individual Kata: ALL GRADES (14 to 15 years) SHOTOKAN - Jakub Woronicz 
On the last day of the competition we left the Netto Arena at approx 15:00, which gave us time to quickly return to the hotel, shower and explore the city. I had been to Szczecin two years prior at the WUKF World Cup in 2020, therefore I acted as a tourist guide to our group and showed them the most beautiful parts of the city. We viewed Philharmonic M. Karłowicza, Old Town in Szczecin, Wały Chrobrego, The Archicatedral Basilica of St. James, Baroque City Gate, Pomeranian Dukes' Castle. During our stay we had the opportunity to eat in a few Polish restaurants and try the delicious traditional Polish food the city has to offer. 
To summarise our starts at the 1st WKA World Karate Championships I would like to thank Krzystof Chalupka for our teams possibility of starting at this event. Pawel Bombolewski for the organisation of this event. Chris Galea and the whole referee team for the high quality of the event. Krzystof Chalupka, Jacek Boguski and Adam Zietalewicz for the possibility of starting in team categories with myself. Maksymilian Kiciewicz and Jan Fatek for starting in team kumite categories with Jakub.
The 1st WKA World Karate Championships were conducted at a high organisational and sporting level. A huge congratulations is necessary for our Sport Karate Coalition athletes who without the time and effort put into training would not have been able to have reached this success. We experienced a lot of emotions: tears and lots of laughs. We all gained a lot experience and the most important thing is no one went home heavily injured. At the end I would like to give my family a huge thank you for everything.
This event was full of emotions. From the stress before fights to the happiness after winning. After rethinking and rewatching my fights i learnt a lot of things i need to improve on. I had my fights on saturday and one on sunday. This meant i was really tired by the end but i pulled through and didnt give up. In my team i had Max and Jan who were really good teammates and were really fun to talk to. In the end the whole team did really well and it was a pleasure to participate and i cant wait for what events we will be able to compete in the future.
This event was my second high level competition. I had an amazing experience where I learnt ways to improve my techniques. I competed on both Friday and Sunday where I was in categories for kata and kumite. In kumite I won a five medals and although I did not win a medal in kata, I gained a great deal of valuable experience. I really enjoyed my trip to Szczecin as I made memories with my team and had so much fun with them. I’m looking forward to participating in more competitions with them🥰
I am very grateful for being able to attend this event in Szczecin, Poland. It was an incredible experience. I have been able to learn a lot of new lessons upon reflecting on my mistakes from my kumite categories and from observing others. I am now able to better understand which techniques and moves are beneficial for me and my style of fighting. The whole Sport Karate Coalition team bonded and created new and long lasting memories together. We experienced strong emotions together, we laughed and we cried for which I am thankful. The event was organised to a high level and I am excited for future events with my team. 🤍