UK-based Malawian taekwondo Master, Yamikani Guba has been awarded ‘Dan Player of the Year 2024’ by the British Army Taekwondo Association at a ceremony held yesterday on the Wessex Elite Taekwondo Performance Sports Centre in Dorset, UK for his greatest efficiency of the yr.

Guba, a Sergeant of British Army’s 4th Regiment Royal Artillery, has gained many medals this yr that embody 5 gold medals, incomes him the Army Taekwondo Dan Player of the Year 2024.

“Over the past few years, I have achieved significant success in my Dan  belt grade fighting category,” Guba stated when contacted. “I have held the 5th Dan grade since 2021, which I earned through hard work and resilience in all my taekwondo endeavors.”

He gained his fifth gold medal in July within the +87kg Senior class on the Interservices Championships 2024 and the next day he gained a silver on the 4th Wales International Taekwondo Championships held on the Wales National Stadium.

The different 4 gold medals had been gained within the +87 kg Senior class on the Premier Open Championships 2024 on June 23, held on the University of Huddersfield; on the Army Open Championship in February in WT Poomsae Masters class; alongside +87kgs kyorugi (combating) on the championships held on the Army Combat Centre in Aldershot; and on the Ultimate Open Championship 2024 in Vets +87kgs held on the Metrodome Lesuire Centre, Sheffield in March.

In September, Guba was pressured to bow out of the quarter-finals of the British Taekwondo National Championship 2024 within the +87 kg Senior class because of an harm throughout the occasion held on the English Institute of Sports.

He had stated though he was decided to proceed the combat, he needed to make a clever determination to bow out throughout the match within the second spherical as he didn’t wish to irritate the harm to be able to get well in good time to compete on the Belgium Open finish of this yr.

Last yr alone, Guba gained 15 medals of 6 gold, 6 silver and three bronze that earned him the Malawi Sports Awards Sportsman of the Year 2023 and the identical achievements had been recognised by UK (North) Army Sport Trophy Awards, that nominated him for the Most Outstanding Male Sports Person and he got here second.

Guba has additionally been recognised in a number of events for his achievement combating for British Army Taekwondo staff, which he has captained since 2010.

He has over 250 medals to his title – of which greater than 190 are gold and Sergeant Guba was additionally acknowledged by the British army with medals of valor having deployed to theatre of warfare corresponding to Afghanistan, Iraq and different warfare zones.

Guba stated he’s presently trying ahead to finishing the British Taekwondo Level 2 teaching course, which is totally funded by the Army Martial Arts Association.

“I began the British Taekwondo Level 2 course in January 2024,” he stated. “This year-long program consists of sensible coaching, principle classes, and assessments.

“There are seven of us on this course from the Army Taekwondo staff whom we had been had been all really useful by our staff supervisor and our head coach because of our onerous work and seniority inside the Army Taekwondo staff — therefore funded by the Army Martial Arts Association.

“The results will be announced in January next year and I’ve worked very hard during the course as I look forward to coach Malawian taekwondo athletes in the near future all goes well.”

The phenomenon athlete learnt his Martial Arts at Blantyre Youth Centre (BYC) on the age of 10 on the inspiration of his relations and he later relocated to UK in 2004 to review the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM-postgraduate).

He went on to hitch the British Army in 2007 the place he was recruited within the British Army Martial Arts staff in 2008 — competing in each Taekwondo and Kendo at worldwide and nationwide degree.

He is the one highly-graded personnel in UK Armed Forces Taekwondo staff and his most up-to-date and notable achievement is his grading to Kukkiwon World Taekwondo fifth Dan/Degree black belt attained some two years in the past.

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