The Burnaby Karate Academy won seven gold medals at the recent national championships held in Toronto on March 15 to 17.
Shaun Dhillon won the male grand championship and sportsmanship award, while taking top spot in both the men's plus-84 kilograms and open weight sparring classes.
Arash Beytoei took gold in the men's under-67 kg, kumite, while Jusleen Virk also won the women's u50kg division.
In the past 10 years, B.C. has had only two male and three female champions in sparring, said BKA's Sandeep Gill.
The academy also had three gold medallists in the teen divisions.
Izzy Chan and Brendon Ly both won in the 16/17 age class, taking gold in the girls' u-48 kg and boys' plus-76 kg classes, respectively. Isaac Mand also won in the 14/15 boys' u57 kg category.
The Burnaby academy also had five silver and seven bronze medallists at the nationals.
The number is particularly impressive considering the rest of the B.C. team managed another two gold, two silver and four bronze in kumite.
Matt Ly won two medals, taking second in the 18-to-20 men's u-68 kg. He also placed third in the men's category.
Cedomir Vasic was runner-up at plus78 kg. Vasic also placed fourth in the men's u-84 kg.
In the 16/17 age class, Callan Evans earned silver at plus-76 kg, while Harpreet Sidhu was second at plus-59 kg. Alexandra Zaborniak also had a second place in the 14/15 girls' u-54 kg.
Cindy Jacob and Kim Logan both won bronze medals in the women's 68 kg weight class.
Anisha Virk was third in 18-to-20 girls' u-53 kg. Rachel Ko was third in the 16/17 u-48 kg class.
Joel Tai and Kyle Macmillan both came third in their respective 14/15 weight divisions.
Andrea Maikawa marked her 10th and final appearance at the nationals with a fourth-place finish in the women's u61 kg.
Maikawa will still compete in open tournaments while also focusing on coaching at the Burnaby academy dojo.
Another Burnaby academy veteran and coach Matt Bickel also placed fourth in the men's u-75 kg sparring.
Victoria Barusic, a Burnaby resident who trains out of West River, won gold in the 18-20 girls' kata or forms and a bronze in sparring at u-50 kg.
