Jamie Givney was already reigning Australian and NSW Karate Champion but none of that came close to how proud he felt as he took out the Queensland title at the Gold Coast.
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What made the Gold Coast Budo victory so special was that Jamie’s son Riley showed equal dominance over his rivals in the U13 division, before father and son got to walk on to the arena to be crowned champions together for the first time.
“I was so honoured to be able to win side by side with my son,” Jamie said.
I was so honoured to be able to win side by side with my son.
- Jamie Givney
“It was one of the most proudest days of my life.”
The pair had not even planned to take on the titles before they realised that the tournament coincided with the school holidays and a planned trip to visit family on the Gold Coast.
While Jamie walked into the open division the confident favourite after taking the Australian title earlier in the year, Riley even stepped up a division, the 11 year old South Tamworth student taking on the U13 full contact competition without hesitation, before going on to win three fights straight to claim the trophy.
“I was happy to step up and just have a go and some fun,” Riley said.
The young star has only been training for four years, and competitively fighting for just over one, but now has his sights set on matching the old man by taking out next years NSW and Australian Championships.
Jamie needed to win four fights to finish on top of the knock-out competition, and did it in style, dominating all comers on his way to the crown, before also being judged Overall Kumite Champion for being the best fighter across all divisions, but even that paled in comparison to the feeling of winning alongside Riley.
“It was unbelievable to be able to fight side by side with Riley and be able to give him that experience as well,” Jamie said.
“To walk back out winners side by side was just the best feeling ever.”