April 2025

Lennox Paton sponsors IJF ranked Judoka Karra Hanna

Lennox Paton recently sponsored judoka Karra Hanna who competed in the Panamerican and Oceania Senior Championships in Santiago, Chile held April 25-27, 2025. In her first International Judo Federation (IJF) tournament in 8 years, Karra captured 5th place overall in the +78 kilogram category, and simultaneously propelled herself from unranked to 80th ranked in the world in the +78 kilogram category.  Her feat also helped The Bahamas place 16th out of 24 competing countries.

On the competition, Karra remarked, “My first match was a tough draw—against the Olympic gold medalist from Brazil. Despite the odds, I held my own, pushing her to the limit in a full four-minute match, and she narrowly edged me out by just half a point.  In the repechage round, I came back strong, winning with an ippon in just 30 seconds, which advanced me to the bronze medal match against one of Cuba’s top fighters. Unfortunately, the match was awarded to her under controversial circumstances—I truly felt I wasn’t being pinned. It was a tough moment, and I left the mat heartbroken.  Still, I’m proud of my performance. I placed 5th overall, jumped from no world ranking to 80th with 288 points, and helped place the Bahamas 16th out of 24 participating countries. Not bad for my first IJF tournament in 8 years!”

Karra is a 25 year old, full-time judoka, hailing from the quaint island of Acklins, Bahamas. She now sets her sights on preparing for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los, Angeles. 

Lennox Paton is proud of Karra’s accomplishments and wishes her continued success in her endeavours.