Double act at championship

KENPO CHAMPS: Leo, left, and Amelia Arnerich, 11, from Matakana took a couple of victories apiece at the Oceania championships.

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Matakana twins Amelia and Leo Arnerich, 11, swept all before them at the 2009 Kenpo Oceania Championships at Eden Park last month.

Top competitors from New Zealand and Australia fought it out over a range of martial art disciplines in a competition run continuously on five mats.

Members of the Matakana Kenpo School, the pair won gold in the interlocking two-man sets before going on to win their sections of the free fighting contests.

Amelia was victorious in the girls’ 32 kilogram advanced belts – black and brown – contest and Leo won the boys’ 35-40 kilogram advanced belts division. He also placed second in the weapons section.

Amelia’s final was an all-Kiwi affair against a respected Auckland competitor whilst Leo’s final was a crowd pleasing New Zealand versus Australia battle.

"The standard of participating students was equal with all other schools over 21 countries," said American Jeff Speakman, founder of Kenpo Karate 5.0 and a guest at the championships.

The twins have a background in karate and were brown belts by the time they were eight years old and the merging of skills from the two martial art forms gave them an advantage in the free fighting sections.

The change from karate to kenpo came about in 2007 when the twins met 7th degree black belt "Shihan" Kevin Watts while on holiday.

For more information about Kenpo call Kevin Watts on 021-120-7954.

- © Fairfax NZ News