On the weekend of Oct 7-8 the team travelled to Phnom Penh for the Cambodian National Judo Championships where they once again exhibited their burgeoning skills to finish the tournament with an impressive eight-medal haul.
Dojo team captain Gabin continued to lead the way by winning the gold medal in his category and he was ably matched by fellow student Oscar who also claimed the top honour in his class.
Dojo teammate David won a silver medal, losing only one of his five fights which was against teammate Gabin, while Oliver demonstrated his impressive consistency by reaching his 15th final of the year to also claim silver.
Tomo excelled to reach the podium and claim a bronze medal in the under-14 age group, despite only being 11 years old himself; he was also awarded his judo orange belt classification for his development and progress.
There were also bronze medals for Dominic, who battled on admirably despite suffering a dislocated shoulder during competition, and 8-year-old Kiichi who shone by securing third-place in the under-12 age group.
Opponents clearly underestimated Kiichi as the young competitor belied his age to overcome several bigger and tougher challenges on his way to the podium with an excellent display of technically precise judo.
Last but not least, Dojo lead instructor Alexis Plantard continued to set an example to his students by winning a gold medal in the senior age category.
Success Down Under
Prior to the tournament in Cambodia the team contested the Australian National Judo Championships on the weekend of Sept 9-10, and once again the medals continued to flow.
Oscar and Oliver both won golds in their respective classes as did young Kiichi who claimed his first international tournament. As an additional bonus, Kiichi was also awarded his judo orange belt classification in recognition on his ongoing progress.
Team captain Gabin took home a silver medal and Alexis continued to set a great example to his students as he claimed two gold medals in the senior 90kg and master 90kg classes.
The team’s overall performance meant they finished fifth out of 13 clubs, a tremendous display considering only six athletes from the Phuket-based club were involved.
‘The Spirit of Judo’
The Phuket News aren’t the only ones who are charting the development and progress of the Dojo Phuket team as recently all their hard work paid off with a mention in the renowned French martial arts magazine L’Esprit Du Judo, which translates as ‘The Spirit of Judo’.
The monthly magazine is considered the leading global authority on the sport of judo with over 70,000 copies sold each month around the world.
The article in the September edition profiled a number of French coaches based throughout the world who are demonstrating a positive influence in growing the sport of judo within the local community which has manifested in results and achievements at championship level.
Alexis was one such coach mentioned for developing excellence and performance within his students at the Dojo at Blue Tree Phuket, something he aims to continue doing for a long time yet.
Everyone is welcome to attend Dojo at Blue Tree Phuket to learn martial arts and become the best version of themselves. For more information contact: dojo@bluetree.fun or visit their Facebook page.