Most recently the team competed at the Singapore International Judo Open last weekend (May 2-3) where they claimed the title of second best placed team out of the nine teams competing, sweeping to an impressive 16-medal haul in the process.
Claiming gold medals were students Kevin (who won two golds), David and Daniil, while the latter also scooped a silver medal and a separate trophy for best fighter in his class.
Elsewhere, silver medals went to Lea and Dima, with team silver medals going to Leo, Lea and Daniil in the under-9 age category, Johnatan, Daniil and Sagit in the under-12 and Gleb, Dima and David in the under-15 group.
In further individual contests bronze medals were awarded to Iroslav, Johnatan, Leo, Gleb, Sacha and Sagit.
It was a collective performance that illustrated the potential and ongoing development of the team under the guidance of Dojo lead instructor Alexis Plantard, who, as usual, was glowing with priase for his students.
‘Best Kids Team’
The achievements in Singapore came hot on the heels of a similarly impressive performance at the Malaysia International Open in Penang on Apr 19 where team Dojo once again collected 16 medals, including nine gold, two silver and five bronze among a highly competitive field of 850 athletes from 10 countries.
Gold medals were awarded to Lea, Kevin, Georgie, Leo, Dima, Nikolai, Daniil, Damir and Alexis, with Johnatan and Gleb picking up silvers and Aron, Sacha, Sagit and David (two) claiming bronze.
Furthermore, important belt promotions were achieved by the following: Sacha, white belt with yellow stripe; Nikolai, yellow belt; Georgie, yellow belt; Leo, orange belt; Kevin, yellow belt with two orange stripes; Johnatan, yellow belt with two orange stripes; Daniil, green belt with two blue stripes; and Damir, blue belt with brown stripe.
Rounding off the achievements in Penang was the award of the “Best Kids Team” for finishing 1st out of 57 teams.
Streamlined
On the weekend of Apr 3-5 a streamlined Dojo team of three athletes competed at the Thailand Jujitsu National Championship in Bangkok and still managed to win five medals amid strong competition.
Competing in the Tachi Waza category, Dojo captain David claimed not only gold but the Thailand national title in his age group, while Alexis also claimed gold after contesting in three different divisions (Tachi Waza, No-Gi and Newaza) and receiving four trophies for his performance, including best overall fighter.
Rounding out the medals was Yuma who, representing Dojo Phuket in his first championship, reached the podium to claim a bronze medal, suggesting there is much more to come from him.
“It was a very strong performance from the team,” Alexis told The Phuket News. “We only had a small team of three as the event was only confirmed a month prior and we already had teams registered for and focused on the Malaysia and Singapore Opens shortly afterwards.
“Despite that we were ranked 42nd out of 172 teams in Thailand Jujitsu this year and I am extremely proud of the team,” he added.
Prior to this the team competed at the Hong Kong International Open on the weekend of Mar 20-21 and once again delivered an outstanding collective performance.
Serial medal winner Lea claimed another gold in her age group, as did Sagit and Alexis, while silver medals went to Gleb and Dima, with Shane claiming a hard fought bronze.
Belt promotions were achieved by the following: Sagit, blue belt with a second brown stripe; Gleb, orange belt with a second green stripe; and Daniil, green belt with one blue stripe. While Daniil did not win a medla for his efforts, Alexis was quick to point out that he was competing against very strong opponents much older than him which, ultimately, will prove to be an invaluable learning experience.
Hard work
It has been a period of significant progression since the team settled in their new environs last October.
“We are growing very fast and reaching an important new stage,” Alexis told The Phuket News recently. “We now have four different locations catering for over 100 students. As well as the main academy in Manik we are now present at three separate schools on the island, namely Headstart School, HEI and British International School, Phuket (BISP).
“Furthermore, we have also built a hostel at the academy, allowing us to welcome athletes for full training camps and long-term development.”
The progress and achievements at international level competition are only possible due to the hard work the team put in during numerous training sessions at the Manik-based Dojo, Alex explained. “That is where the real hard work takes place and where future athletes are crafted,” he said.
This is evident in the case of student David who was recently selected for the Russian national cadet team. This will entail competing on the International Judo Federation circuit to earn points and qualify for the Cadet World Championships.
Helping David’s cause is the fact that Alexis was recently accredited as a coach for the Russian cadet team, allowing him to travel internationally with the young student to prove invaluable guidance and support.
This is the second time Alexis has developed an athlete to national team level after he coached Kenneth Thongsong to the Thai national team and participation in the World Championships in Bosnia in 2022, attaining a rank of 9th in Asia in the process.
“We are building something very special here,” Alexis told us. “The future is very bright and the sky is the limit.”
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