Ja earn first-ever medal at Youth Pan American Karate Champs

SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD AYDEN Rennalls became the first medallist for Jamaica at the Youth Pan American Karate Championships.

Rennalls got bronze in the 6/17 -61kg category at the champs which were held from August 25–31 in Asunción, Paraguay.

The 17-year-old opened with a 2-1 victory against Colombia’s Samuel Ocampo, followed by a 4-2 loss to Chile’s Sebastian Vasquez. Undeterred, he fought through the repechage, defeating Ecuador’s Joaquin Vega 5-4 before defeating the United States’s Zack Lopez 4-3 in the bronze-medal match.

“I can’t put it into words how grateful and relieved I am to win a continental medal,” Rennalls said.

In his bronze-medal fight, Rennalls trailed the Lopez 0–3 in the first half. With only 48 seconds left, he began an extraordinary comeback.

His coach Valentyna Zolotarova recalled the moment that earned him the medal.

“We had 48 seconds left and I told him, you need to score one point in the next 10 seconds - and he did. Then he scored another one and one more and we were up to 3-3. In the last 10 seconds, Lopz got a warning and lost their ‘senshu’ or first-point advantage, but we knew that leaving the result to ‘hantei’ or the judge’s decision was too risky for Jamaica. There were two seconds left on the clock when the referee restarted the match for the last time, Ayden pulled off a guaranteed win with a “giakutsuki” or a reverse punch to the body, scoring one more point in those last two seconds and securing Jamaica’s medal,” she said.

“It was an incredible moment and the crowd went wild. We now had not only the Caribbean cheering for Jamaica, but the entire PKF [Pan Am Karete Federation] family. It was an amazing feeling.”

Jamaica’s Commonwealth Games medallist Rasandre Evans competed in the 14/15 -57kg division, while his brother Andrew Evans competed in the new PFK 10-11 age group.

‘Hardly a surprise’

President of the Jamaica Karate Federation Tony Robinon was proud of the results.

“This wonderful news is hardly a surprise. These athletes train very hard and, as they continue to gain international experience, I am certain they will bring more successes like this and karate will continue to grow islandwide,” he said.

“I am very happy about this win for Ayden. It’s truly an incredible accomplishment for him, for the team, and for all of us as a federation as we look onwards to CAC Games 2026 and Panam Games 2027.

“(This) result that underlines the nation’s growing presence on the continental stage. As always, we must thank the Jamaica Olympic Association for their ongoing support for the Jamaica Karate Federation,” Robinson said.