With the 2025 World Karate and Kickboxing Commission (WKC) World Championships far more accessible than in many years, representatives of the Sudbury KMAC (Korean Martial Arts Centre) group were all in last month in Niagara Falls, New York.

That kind of buy-in produced some very impressive results for the northern Ontario crew who qualified via regional and national level competitions.

"Their performance at the World Championships was the culmination of months of intense training, commitment and perseverance," noted KMAC head coach Chris Fortin. The event assembled elite martial artists from across the globe, with competitors vying for the prestigious title of WKC world champion.

The tournament featured a wide range of events, including open hand and weapons forms, point and continuous sparring, as well as team and tag divisions. Unlike many other competitions, the World Championships are divided solely by age and weight, not skill level or belt rank, making each division fiercely competitive.

Rising to that challenge and leading an eight medal performance from local athletes was Ocean Avery, who claimed gold in tag team, silver in Korean Forms and a trio of bronze medals (point fighting, 3-person team fighting, mixed team division).

The sibling tandem of Emma and Jake Stripay-Gobeil rounded out the list of Sudbury podium placements, with Emma finishing third in both Chinese Forms and 3-person team fighting (6th in Korean Forms; 7th in Point Fighting) and Jake walking away with some bronze hardware in 3-person team fighting, placing 6th in Point Fighting.

Other top finishers among the KMAC family were:

Logan Richard — 4th in both Korean and Chinese Forms (boys 14–15)

Breanna Dufresne - 4th in Chinese Forms and 6th in Korean Forms (girls 14-15)

Alexis Dufresne — 6th in Korean Forms

Daymond Stripay-Gobeil — 5th in Korean Forms (Boys 16–17)

Eric Fortin — 4th in Chinese Forms, 5th in Korean Forms, 5th in Sparring — an impressive debut (U9) at his first World Championships

“The success of our athletes at this level reflects the hard work and commitment not only from the students but from their coaches and families," added coach Fortin. "This is a collective achievement that speaks volumes about the strength of our KMAC community.”