DOJO member becomes Team GB captain

Sensei Irfan Ansari and Huseyn Mikayilov

Huseyn Mikayilov, of Rochdale’s DOJO Karate Centre, has been appointed Team GB’s male captain for the European Championships, which take place in London in August.

Huseyn was appointed by the head national coach, Chris Hemstock, at the GBMAT team national squad training in Kettering.

Sensei Irfan Ansari, head coach at the DOJO and national coach, said the appointment was “amazing news” for Rochdale.

He said: “This just goes to show that high ranking martial artists in the game fully recognise the work we are doing, and the standard of what we do is clearly very high – although there's always room for improvement.”

Sensei Ansari continued: “Huseyn has always worked hard in perfecting his skills. His motivation to stay strong with my guidance and support helped him realise the long-term goals and has kept him positive.

“Being given the chance to qualify as a coach and then go on to do so has taught him much more about the different types of people we deal with everyday.

“Most of all, he has worked hard at self-improvement with many hours being spent reinforcing his learning, discovering different training methods, new techniques and tactics to excel himself.

“This, coupled with the respect he always shows and the often mischievous jokes he plays, makes him the ideal person to lead the GB team. We are all very proud of him.”

Forty-eight members of the DOJO Karate Centre will represent England at the European Championships in High Wycombe over the weekend of 3 and 4 August.
 

Read more: 48 members of DOJO Karate Centre qualify for European ChampionshipsPublished: 04 March 2024