Pan Am Karate Championship loss brings hidden wins

JAMAICA’S ONLY representative at the Pan-American Karate Championships, Valentyna Zolotarova, was unable to make it past the first round of the competition held in Curacao last week, but enjoyed wins for the island’s programme in different ways.

She lost to multiple time Pan-American and Central American Champion Stella Urango of Colombia, in her first match.

“During the match, I realised that the Colombian team’s strategy was to use my strengths and my aggressive attacks to their advantage,” Zolotarova said.

“The Colombian moved a lot around the perimeter of the ring, making it difficult for my technique to land and score.”

She said despite the loss, she was happy to represent the nation in the competition.

“I was proud to represent Jamaica and to compete among the best on the continent,” she said. “I did the best I could on my own and even had some last-minute coaching support from Aruba, but I was not able to change the outcome of the match to my advantage.”

She said this experience allowed her to win some additional support for the Jamaica Karate Federation (JKF).

“I was also able to attend several important meetings on behalf of the federation and to bring good news to our federation, including an upcoming international training camp opportunity for our under-21 athletes in Mexico following the Junior Pan-American Championship this August,” she said.

She said she will continue to play her part in helping the sport grow in Jamaica.

“I hope that my participation in international competition will inspire other girls to participate and compete in karate and our new generation to reach further accomplishments,” she said

“I will be sharing the technical and tactical observations from this competition with other karate instructors on the island to inform the training plans of our junior female and male athletes in preparation for the Junior Pan-American Championships.”

The United States topped the medal table at what was the 35th edition of the Championships with four gold, a silver and two bronze. Venezuela with three gold, five silver and three bronze were a close second, while Brazil with three gold, four silver and five bronze were third.

The JKF is currently preparing a team of eight for the Junior Pan-American Championships which is to take place in Mexico in August, 2022.