Darien participated in the Kempo Classic on June 7. (Courtesy of Michael Nahan)
DARIEN, CT — Darien has a strong showing at the 2026 Kempo Classic on June 7, a martial arts tournament that featured over 300 competitors from Connecticut and New York, ages 3 to 17, who competed across 21 unique divisions.
Events at the tournament, which was held at the Wilton Field House, included:
Maneuvers – a series of moves requiring skill containing blocks, strikes, and throws used in self-defense
Kata Forms – a longer, highly detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements
Sparring – full contact ‘free-form’ fighting where combatants use protective gear and attempt to outscore their opponent
Owner and chief instructor of Kempo Karate in Darien, Sensei Michael Nahan, organized the tournament.
Courtesy of Michael Nahan.
Significant Achievements by Kempo Darien Students
Kempo Karate of Darien students swept the Age 11 Kata Forms division with Kamyla Hernandez winning first place, Yardley Clark earning second, and William Kramer and Ayaan Joshi taking third and fourth place, respectively.
In another sweep, Kempo Darien students took the top spots in Maneuvers Age 7 (Last Name N – Z) with Winston Nahan winning first place, Ayla Tuttle earning second place, while Saanvi Thakker and Bennet Simon took third and fourth place, respectively.
Across multiple age brackets in sparring, Darien finished with all the top spots again, including Sparring Age 5, both divisions of Sparring Age 7, and Sparring Ages 12-13.