By Duncan Mlanjira
Competing in an unfamiliar category of +80kg, UK-based Taekwondo Master Yamikani Guba managed added another accolade to his awards treasure trove after winning silver medal at the Yorkshire Open Championships held on Sunday in Halifax.
Guba explains that he normally competes in senior heavyweight category of +87kgs and since the format was changed to merge the two he found it difficult to adapt to the change and thus lost in a closely contested final match against Sam Slocombe from the British Taekwondo School in the final to settle for silver.
Guba with his coach Ben Shaw
He is now looking forward for the North East Open Championships to be held in Newcastle on April 5.
“Once again, many thanks to family, friends and Malawi UK Military Community who support and recognise my sport.
“And also not forgetting the chain of command of the 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery for allowing me to participate all the competitions representing the British Army Taekwondo team,” Guba said, a Sergeant in the British Military.
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This comes a week after he won two gold and two silver medals — 1 in Kendo and three in Taekwondo — during the British Army Martial Arts Open Championships.
He won two gold medals fighting in Taekwondo individuals and and Taekwondo individuals Poomsae (patterns) and the silver in patterns Taekwondo and Kendo individual.
The four medals he won last week
He has now accumulated six medals this year alone. He won his first gold attained in heavyweight category +87kgs last February during the Scotland (Lanarkshire) Open Taekwondo Championships, held at the Wishaw Sports Centre.
Altogether, he has now accumulated 246 accolades that include medals, awards, trophies and recognitions in martial arts in general both at international and British national competitions.
The new medal
Guba was nominated for Malawi Sport Awards’ Sportsman of the Year alongside men’s footballer Gabadinho Mhango and women footballer Tabitha Chawinga.
He arrived in the country to attend the Red Carpet gala but the award went to Tabitha, who was also voted as Best Overall Sports Personality for her excellent performance at her club in China which made her be nominated for Confederation of African Football (CAF) Player of the Year award.
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Guba, represented Malawi Taekwondo team in World Taekwondo Championship held in Manchester on May 19 last year and also in the 2016 Rio Olympics qualifications which was held in Agadir, Morocco, had said he is hoping to one day further promote the sport in Malawi.
Originally from Blantyre District, he also holds a 2nd Dan in both Judo and Karate and a 1st Dan in Kendo.
He learnt his Martial Arts at BYC at the age of 10 at the inspiration of his family members and later relocated to UK in 2004 to study the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM-postgraduate) and thereafter he decided to join the British Army in 2007.
He joined the British Army Martial Arts team in 2008, competing in both Taekwondo and Kendo at international and national level.
In 2016, the British military awarded Guba with the title of the best senior fighter for its Taekwondo team in which he is the captain.
The Master
Based in Larkhill at the Royal School of Artillery as a Phase 2 Instructor, he has achieved many medals over the years on both national and international level of fighting.
In November last year, Guba won the silver medal at the National Taekwondo Club Championship on Sunday in Nottingham just after 11 days of achieving the same feat at the London International Open.
Guba has also be previously honoured by the British military as he was named the third best British Military Sportsperson of the Year achiever.