Bermudian Athletes Impress at Canadian Wushu Championships
IslandStats.com
Members of the Bermuda Sanshou Association have delivered a strong performance at the 2025 International Martial Arts Festival & National Championships, held at the Markham Pan Am Centre in Canada.
Ryah Symonds showed great resilience in her two bouts. In her first match against Annan Bawa of Shaolin MA Canada, she went down two rounds to nil. However, her performance improved significantly in the second round, with one judge scoring in her favour. She bounced back impressively in her second fight against Farzaneh Deghani, taking her opponent down towards the end of the first round in a dominant display that ended the contest.
Cole Durham's competition was cut short by an unfortunate shoulder injury sustained in the first round of his match against Sofiane Semane of Kwoon Wushu.
A standout performance came from Kaelin Cox, who secured first place in all three of his open taolu divisions: nanquan (southern fist), nandao (southern broadsword), and nangun (southern staff). This success provides a major boost for Cox as he prepares to travel to Peru to train with Brazilian coach Adriano Lourenco da Silva ahead of the 17th World Wushu Championships in Brasilia, Brazil.
Jashae Allen-LaMontagne also had a successful championships, winning gold in both Open Barehand and Traditional long weapons. She added to her medal haul with two bronze medals in Traditional Open Barehand and Traditional short weapons.
Finally, Geraldine Sidders placed a respectable fourth in the Open Barehand division.
The results highlight the growing talent within the Bermuda Sanshou Association and provide a positive outlook for the future of the sport on the island.
