A Paul Kane graduate will fight on the world stage this May after winning gold at the Karate Canada national championships.
St. Albert resident and Desa School of Karate student Maddy Anhill won the gold medal in the U21 Female +68 kg category at the 2025 Karate Canada National Championships held April 3-6 in Richmond, B.C.
Anhill, 20, was one of three students from St. Albert’s Desa School of Karate to make the podium at the championship. (Siblings Nolan and Morgan Blake won bronze.)
An alumnus of Paul Kane and MacEwan University, Anhill said she started doing karate in 2013 after she asked her parents if she could try taekwondo. (Being karate fans, they said, “Absolutely not!” and took her to the Desa dojo.) The exercise, discipline, and camaraderie she found at the dojo have kept her hooked on the sport ever since.
“I like being stronger than everybody too!” she added, laughing.
Anhill is a regular at the Desa dojo whose agility, height, aggression, and, most importantly, spirit makes her a natural for competition, said Manuel Desa, head instructor at the dojo.
“Whether she wins or loses, she’s positive about it,” he said.
Round one! Fight!
This was Anhill’s fourth time at the karate nationals and her second time on the podium; she won bronze last year.
Anhill said she prepared for this year’s nationals by doing a lot of sparring, weight training, and mental discipline. Giving her the edge in the ring were her speed and knack for landing a kick on her opponents the instant a match began.
Karate tournaments consist of a series of one-on-one bouts where you try to be the first to hit your opponent, Anhill said. Each hit nets you one to three points, depending on its form and location. Whomever gets an eight-point lead first or has the most points after three minutes wins.
Anhill said she was a bit shaken up after she lost her first match at the tournament, but was able to clear her mind and lock in for the following rounds. Her final round was a rematch against her first opponent. Having studied video footage of her first bout, she decided to hang back and bait out attacks from her foe, hoping to duck under them and counterattack.
“It actually was 0-0 up until the last 30 seconds,” Anhill said, at which time her opponent scored the first hit.
Anhill countered with several solid strikes, netting four points in the next 20 seconds. She ended up winning the match 4–1, earning her the gold.
“I was definitely excited,” she said.
Anhill’s win at nationals means she will be representing Canada at the 2025 U21 and Senior Pan-American Karate Championship this May 19-25 in Monterrey, Mexico. She said she will be doing a lot of sparring and seeking sponsors this month the prepare for the championship.
Desa said Anhill’s win shows that hard work and dedication for a long time pays off.
“Everyone’s really proud of her.”
