Every three years, Chito-Ryu karateka from around the world come together for the Soke Cup, the International Chito-Ryu Karate-do Championships. On 14 and 15 August 2026, the 15th Soke Cup came to Australia, at the Gold Coast Sport and Leisure Centre in Carrara, and our dojo was there in force.
Our team came home with 32 medals: 7 gold, 5 silver and 20 bronze. Fifty-three of our students competed (49 from Sunshine Coast Karate and 4 from Coastal Karate Club in Currimundi), from juniors at their first international tournament to Masters competitors, alongside our members in the Australian teams.
Gold
- Hayden Hosking: Junior Kata (Male, A–B, Advanced Kyu) and Junior Kobujutsu Bo
- Monique Robinson: Junior Kata (Female, B–C, Advanced)
- Willabelle Robinson: Junior Kata (Female, C–D, Novice)
- Flynn Jordan, Raiyan Khan and Sensei Bailey Keefe: Adult Men’s Team Kumite, with Australia A
- Sensei Bailey Keefe: Adult Kobujutsu Bo and Adult Kobujutsu Sai
Silver
- Hayden Hosking: Junior Kobujutsu Sai
- Debra Strazzari: Adult Kata (Female, Masters A)
- Sami Phillips: Kobujutsu Bo and Kobujutsu Sai (Female, Adults and Masters C)
- Mahirah Khan and Monique Robinson: Junior Team Kumite (Female), with Australia A
Bronze
- Junior Kata: Joshua Carlson (Male, F), Bailey McRae (Male, A–B, Advanced Kyu), Marley Byrne (Female, E)
- Junior Kumite: Hayden Hosking (Male, B), Mahirah Khan (Female, D), Monique Robinson (Female, B)
- Adult Kata: Brett McRae (Male, Masters B–C, Advanced Kyu), Jedda Kriewaldt (Female, Adult, Kyu), Lara Tzafaris (Female, Masters B–C, Novice), Maureen Khan (Female, Masters B–C, Advanced Kyu), Keiko Kabasawa (Female, Masters A)
- Adult Kumite: Sensei Bailey Keefe (Male, Adult, Dan, under 75 kg), Sensei Matthew Stevenson (Male, Masters B, Dan), Ian Razzell (Male, Masters C, Kyu), Jedda Kriewaldt (Female, Adult, Kyu)
- Team Kata: Monique Robinson, Mahirah Khan and Willabelle Robinson (Junior A–B); Keiko Kabasawa, Brett McRae and Ian Razzell (Masters)
- Team Kumite with Australia A: Hayden Hosking (Junior Male), Ian Razzell (Masters Men), Sami Phillips (Women)
More than medals
Those results were months in the making: weekend after weekend of squad and team kumite training, the Sunshine Coast Winter Tournament in June (the final selection for the national A teams) and the first Brisbane Championships in July (read about the road to the Soke Cup).
It was a bittersweet Soke Cup for us. A few weeks out, we decided for personal reasons that we couldn’t attend, which was especially hard with the championships on home soil and such a big team competing. But we were with the team every step of the way: coaching the Australian team remotely, cheering along with the live stream, keeping the Taikai tournament software running, supporting Mark Snow Sensei (who stepped in as chief referee at the last minute), and helping with the organisation from afar. Our coaches and support crew on the ground did a wonderful job, and they certainly didn’t let us down.
As we always tell our students, the hard work is done in the dojo. Come tournament time, all you have to do is execute your plan, and it was wonderful to watch that play out. We can’t control what others bring to a tournament, only what we bring, and every one of our competitors did us proud. It’s nice to celebrate the wins, and there were plenty of them, but win or lose, you’re part of something special.
Thank you to everyone who stepped up and brought their best: competitors, coaches, support staff, supporters, officials and referees. And a special thank you to Annie, who led the table officials at very short notice. There were plenty of challenges, and her composure and patience under difficult circumstances were very impressive. We couldn’t have done it without you.
After the Soke Cup
On Sunday 16 August, the day after the championships, it was time for the dan gradings and the international clinic. Congratulations to our seniors on their new ranks:
- Sensei Bailey Keefe: 3rd Dan, Kobujutsu
- Sensei Sami Phillips: 3rd Dan in both Karate and Kobujutsu
- Senpai Flynn Jordan: 2nd Dan, Karate
The following Wednesday, 19 August, Nidaime Soke visited our dojo.
Thank you to every competitor, coach, parent and volunteer who made the journey with us. The full results are on Taikai, for Sunshine Coast Karate and Coastal Karate Club.
Looking back: the 2019 Soke Cup and the 2017 Soke Cup in Kumamoto.
Interested in competing? Our Tournament Squad trains for events like this all year round.