Five martial artists from the Sunshine Coast competed in the North American Amateur Muay Thai Championships and Canadian Sport Sanshou Championships Jan. 29 at BCIT.
Muay Thai is a martial art that uses kicks, punches, knees and clinching. Sanshou does not allow knees, but does add sweeps, throws and takedowns. Team Canada selections and North American titles were on the line during the full contact event, and out of the five competitors, there were two first-place and three second-place finishes.
Jason Bakes from Gibsons captured the gold medal and Canadian title in the Sanshou, making him eligible for selection to Team Canada. Unfortunately, Bakes suffered a broken bone in his win and was unable to compete in the Muay Thai event.
Braedon Hopkins from Sechelt also suffered an injury in his final match and was forced to forfeit after dominating his opponent. He still finished a respectful second in his division. Due to his impressive showing, Hopkins is also eligible to be selected to Team Canada.
Rob Michael from Roberts Creek won the silver medal in the Sanshou division and also performed well in the Muay Thai, while Tonya Stephan from Pender Harbour won silver in her Muay Thai fight. In her fight, she clearly outmatched her opponent; however, the judges scored her more critically due to her past fighting experience.
Finally, Ryan Daley of Halfmoon Bay had an impressive showing in his first competition, taking home the gold medal in his Muay Thai fight. Daley kept constant pressure on his competition and showed his improving kickboxing skills by mixing up his striking with kicks and punches. He took home the North American title.
These excellent results are only possible through qualified instruction, coaching and proper training.
-Submitted
