Hard to beat … Recent Australian Open karate championship medallists Jai Hunt, Jessica Saveska and Thomas Olsen. 64030 Picture: DAMJAN JANEVSKI
THOMAS Olsen’s quest to make the Australian karate team had its ups and downs at the Australian Open championships last month.
Olsen, who trains at Samurai Karate in Sunshine, struggled with his distance and timing in the under 69kg under-21 event – an event he won gold in last year – and finished third.
With his future in the Australian team at risk, Olsen spent that night with his coach and father Darren working on visualisation and other psychological techniques, and performed significantly better the following day.
Olsen won a crucial fight in the men’s under 67kg against Sergiy Mykhalenko, who Olsen had not defeated before.
Mykhalenko placed second in the open weight division at last year’s nationals.
Olsen took on NSW’s Tsuneari Yahiro in the final and lost 2-1, which is the closest he has been to defeating Yahiro.
Jessica Saveska showed her champion credentials by backing up previous gold medals with a silver in her weight division, then lifted to win gold in the open weight division in the 14-15 year female cadets division.
Jai Hunt, in the 12-13 year 40-45kg division, won his first gold at national level.
Ellen Hunt’s first year in the adult division showed her backing up her last year’s gold with silver in the 18- 21 years, under 60kg division.
Hunt had the flu this day and had to pull out of the senior divisions.
