Members of the Serbian karate club Ippon Karate Team from Chicago, reinforced by their brotherly Macedonian club Miloševski Martial Art, won an impressive nine medals—5 gold and 4 silver—at the USA Karate Nationals and Junior Team Trails 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas.
The boys and girls, aged 5-12, who took their first karate steps at the club under the wing of St. Nicholas Church in Lyons, a suburb of Chicago, have every reason to be proud. They earned all these medals in competition against the strongest clubs and individuals from across America. The “USA Karate Nationals and Junior Team Trials 2025” also served as an opportunity for U.S. national team selectors to choose candidates for the national team for the next Olympic Games.
World Champion Coach Leads the Way
It is worth noting that Uroš Kaličanin, the coach (sensei) of the Serbian club, was once a junior world champion, ensuring the young champions learned from the best.
The “Ippon” team competed with the following members: Petar Kujunđić, Sara Pavlov, Aleksandar Popović, Nana Milićević, Lana Mićević, Siena Jovanovska, and Bonnie Nikolova. They competed individually and as a team in both kumite (sparring) and kata (forms).
Coach’s Pride and Future Aspirations
BROTHERLY TO MEDALS: Coach and members of the Macedonian club Miloševski Martial Art
Coach Kaličanin was extremely satisfied with the behavior and participation of his competitors: “These kids were truly brilliant; three of them won 9 medals, and the others were very close to medals as well. Lana Mićević won as many as 4 medals, Sara Pavlov showed great talent, and Petar Kujundžić was even on the verge of winning a medal in the elite category up to 45 kilograms. These results are even more valuable considering they were achieved in the strongest competition I’ve seen since coming to these tournaments. A lot has started to be invested in karate in America; children are going to international competitions and winning medals,” says the head of “Ippon,” adding:
SHINING IN KATA: Mixed Serbian-Macedonian team impressed the judges
“These medals are a great encouragement for us going forward, for these children to see that their hard work pays off and that they can go far if they persevere. It’s also incredible how well they, being so small, adapted to a hall the size of the Belgrade Arena. We owe a huge thank you to the parents who gathered no small amount of money to send their children to the national championship, and especially to the management of St. Nicholas Church and Father Nemanja Tešić for providing us with space all year and selflessly helping us prepare so well,” concludes Uroš Kaličanin, coach of the “Ippon” karatekas from Chicago.
