Northland's own karate kid Nicky Roberts conquered her oldest rival at the Oceania Championships in Tahiti to become the Senior Woman Kata champion.
The 18-year-old Whangarei Karatedo Shitokai member put in a star performance at the biennial championships in mid-September, up against competitors from Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Tahiti, Fiji
and Vanuatu.
But it was her Kiwi teammate Andrea Anacan, from Auckland, who proved to be the biggest challenge.
"Andrea and I are always fighting off for the top position at events we go to, we have been for a while now," Roberts said. "It was a tough competition and ... it was hard trying to push through towards the end of the three-day tournament."
Roberts had three rounds, before the final round where she was competing against Anacan. Robert's coach Bob Dalton said Roberts returned to the senior event after coming second in the under-21 women's kata division, stronger and faster than ever to win comfortably over Anacan.
The Bream Bay College student is no stranger to success. She is the current NZ junior woman kata champion, and current NZ secondary schools under-19 years kata champion.
Last year she represented her country at the World Under-21 Karate Championships in Morocco, and also won silver at the World Shitoryu Karate Championships (her style) in Beijing, in the 16-18 years kata division.
It is Roberts' final year at school and she is planning to study Sport and Recreation at NorthTec, while trying to reach higher goals in karate.
"I want to medal at the Senior World Championships which are every two years - the next one is in 2012 (in Paris) and I want to be there," she said.
After a short tapering off period, Roberts will get back into training in time for February's Northland Open before targeting next year's Nationals, the Commonwealth Karate Championships in Sydney during September, followed by the World Under-21 Karate Championships in Malaysia the following month.
Two fellow members of Whangarei's Karatedo Shitokai - Zara Wech and Matt Burns - were also part of the successful NZ contingent who contested the Oceania Championships. Wech won silver in the 14-15 years girls under-47kg kumite (fighting) and Burns also won silver in the 16-17 years junior mens under-68kg kumite.
For the second consecutive time, NZ dominated the Oceania Championships, winning 31 gold medals to Australia's 15.
