by Levina Mahendran
For the first time, two West Australians will compete alongside each other at an international competition on the national Kendo team.
Murdoch University Kendo Club members, Anthony Tilbury and Bernard Yehuda, will represent Australia at the 16th World Kendo Championships held in May 2015 at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan.
“We have had many Western Australian players in the national squad trying out… New South Wales and Victoria contain the biggest population of Kendo players in the country, so Western Australia has always been quite distant,” said Yehuda.
“In 48 years we’ve only had three West Australian players,” said Tilbury, who has also been named the captain of the men’s national Kendo team.
Yehuda is the third West Australian player to represent Australia at the World Kendo Championships and it will be his first international competition.
“It feels scary that I will not only meet, but also fight many famous Kendo players – people I would watch on YouTube and admire,” said Yehuda.
Tilbury has different expectations having competed in the 15th World Kendo Championships held in Novara, Italy two years ago.
“Our goal is at least a top four finish, which would be the highest Australia has ever placed. I’ve made it to top eight before but narrowly missed out by one point in the team matches.”
Yehuda’s presence on the team has been a great source of pride for Tilbury as well.
”I trained him in his beginners’ course, so it’s a doubly proud feeling to have him on the team with me,” said Tilbury.
Murdoch University Kendo Club members practising at the Murdoch University Sports Centre
Yehuda also expressed how proud he is to represent his country with a good friend and mentor.
“To fight alongside (Tilbury) gives me an extraordinary feeling of joy and comradeship – that together we can represent not only Australia, but also Western Australia and of course the Murdoch University Kendo Club.”
Please visit Murdoch University Kendo Club or Australian Kendo Renmei for more information.