With two years to prepare for the next World Koshiki Karatedo Championships to be held in Hong Kong, the SAR team are looking good.
Recently back from a successful campaign at the last World Koshiki Karatedo Championships held in Blue Mountain, (near Sydney), Australia, Hong Kong came away with three bronze medals - all in the women's competition.
National coach Pierre Ingrassia thinks Hong Kong could do very well at the next championships in 2002 which are expected to bring together more than 600 karatedo players, including champions from the United States, Canada, Russia, Australia and Japan.
Hong Kong's Rhonda Lepsch, Angela Manandhar and Anupama Anand all shone in Australia with bronze medal-winning performances.
Lepsch won the bronze medal in the cruiserweight division in kumite (free fighting) and together with London-born Manandhar and Anand won the bronze medal in the team kumite event behind a combined team from Nigeria, Russia and Australia. Anand won the bronze medal in the middleweight division kumite.
'I'm very proud of my team,' said Ingrassia, a former European champion and silver medallist at the World Karatedo Championships.