Huge congratulations to Natalie Bottcher Sensei who competed at the British Open in London

Huge congratulations to Natalie Bottcher Sensei who competed at the British Open in London today!

She tied for 3rd place in her kata division with strong performances in Kanku Dai and Sochin, earning her the chance to perform a third kata. This gave her the perfect opportunity to try out Gankaku she’d been wanting to test under pressure. Great effort and things to work on which is exactly what Natalie hoped to achieve. She finished 4th overall!

In kumite, Natalie truly shone. She took 1st place in the 36+ category, landing some well-deserved ippons in the final round.

In the 18–36 kumite division, she claimed an impressive 2nd place, narrowly missing gold by just one waza-ari. The energy in the final was electric, and it was clear how much she enjoyed the match against a highly experienced opponent.

A fantastic day all around, with lots of valuable feedback from the officials to take forward. Well done, Natalie!