Grand Championship Glory: Chau Luen at the 2026 Can-Am Tournament

Chau Luen Athletics dominated the podium at the 2026 Can-Am International Martial Arts Tournament, winning 9 medals across various age and weapons categories, as well as a grand champion’s trophy for best female performer over 18.

In addition to our martial arts forms, we also participated in the lion dance exhibition, taking home the best overall performance lion dance trophy.

Here are the official results from our performers at the 44th Can-Am Martial Arts Tournament:

Competitor	Awards
Ellen Lee	🏆 Grand Championship, Female 18+ Division 🥇 Gold medal, Traditional Kung Fu, Female 18-35 Empty Hand 🥇 Gold medal, Traditional Kung Fu, Female 18-35 Short Weapon
Kelvin Lau	🥇 Gold medal, Traditional Kung Fu Male 35+ Empty Hand 🥇 Gold medal, Traditional Kung Fu Male 35+ Short Weapon
Quinn Fortin	🥇 Gold medal, Traditional Kung Fu Male 18-35 Short Weapon 🥉 Bronze medal, Traditional Kung Fu Male 18-35 Empty Hand
Kaitlyn Wong	🥇 Gold medal, Traditional Kung Fu Female 15-17 Short Weapon
Beta Pang	🥇 Gold medal, Traditional Kung Fu Male 9-11 Short Weapon
Dalton Zheng	🥇 Gold medal, Traditional Kung Fu Male 9-11 Empty Hand
Chau Luen Athletics Lion Dance Team	🏆 Best Overall Performance, Lion Dance Exhibition

It was an exciting competition for our entire team; all of the competitors were competing for the first time in their respective categories. We hope to carry on the momentum and return again next year for Can-Am’s 45th anniversary and inspire a new generation of kung fu practitioners to compete.

Ellen wins top honours, winning the grand championship trophy for the female 18+ division

The highlight of the night was Ellen Lee’s stunning victory in the Female 18+ category. Winning the most overall gold medals and scoring the highest cumulative score amongst every woman in her category, her years of hard work paid off with the grand championship trophy. This was the 4th grand championship in the club’s recent history, after victories by 3 of our disciples, Shawn, Kyle, and Andrew.

She paved her path to victory with a gold medal for Double Daggers (雙插仔) and a gold medal for Siu Mui Fa (小梅花拳), achieving top scores in each category.

Ellen was inspired last year by her close friend Chantelle, who won her first gold medal performing the same daggers form.

Chantelle, who coached Ellen to her first medal wins, was ecstatic to see her friend at the top of the rostrum.

It means so much to us as a club to see Ellen achieve what only our instructors were able to achieve in the past. And to become the first female grand champion of the club means so much… not just for me, but for all the young girls in our kid’s program. I look forward to the day that one of them will follow in Ellen’s footsteps.

Two gold medals represent the next generation of kung fu excellence

We are incredibly proud of two of our young athletes, Beta and Dalton, for their tournament debuts. They have trained harder than anyone else in preparation for Can-Am, and the results showed it. Both students joined our kids kung fu and lion dance program a year ago and made incredible strides in their martial arts journey.

Beta started off the day by winning the gold medal in the short weapon division, performing Double Daggers (雙插仔). He and his siblings have been a mainstay of the kids class, providing leadership and demonstrations since they started their training.

“It was an awesome experience,” Beta said. “I had so much support from my instructors, family, and especially Sifu Mike. It’s so much fun training with the rest of the youth class and the gold medal is just a bonus.”

Dalton won his first gold medal performing Siu Sap Zi (小十字拳), placing at the top of the rankings against 3 other talented boys, both local and from the United States. Similarly, Dalton started a year ago, and has also taken a leadership role in the youth program. He greatly enjoyed the experience and hopes that others will be inspired to compete in future tournaments.

Competing for the first time felt exciting, but I was also really nervous. I didn’t know what to expect, so I just tried my best and remembered what I had practiced. After it was done, I felt proud because I tried something new and pushed myself. Next year, I want to practice more, get better, and feel more confident. I hope I can improve from this year and enjoy the competition even more.

Both are up-and-coming kung fu stars and we are looking forward to them sharpening their skills and growing with the club.

Kelvin sweeps his age bracket’s gold medal table in his first year competing

You’re never too old to start kung fu, and Kelvin proved it with his double gold medal performance at Can-Am. Entering his first tournament, Kelvin worked incredibly hard, as he had been training kung fu for less than one year prior to registering.

Kelvin first took home a gold medal in the short weapon category, performing the Double Daggers (雙插仔) form. His wife, Amanda, cheered him on with the rest of the team and was left inspired by his performance.

What Kelvin accomplished less than a year into his martial arts journey is nothing short of impressive, and he has demonstrated that age is just a number when you have heart and dedication. I'm so proud of my husband, he has inspired me to improve my own physical health and perhaps even try competing next year.

He also demonstrated an empty hand form, Siu Mui Fa (小梅花拳), taking home a second gold medal in the process.

“It was incredibly rewarding to see him compete and achieve such a high honour in his first year of competition,” remarked Jonathan, who helped coach Kelvin. “I could see his progress week in and week out and it means a lot to see him on the top step of the podium.”

Kaitlyn wins a gold medal and is hungry for more next year

A rising star in our adult class, Kaitlyn won her first gold medal in the 15-17 year old category for her Double Daggers (雙插仔) form. It was incredibly tough balancing this and her role as the head of our lion dance team, but she was able to pull off a memorable victory.

One of Kaitlyn’s biggest supporters was her mother, Jackye, who saw her daughter practice relentlessly in the weeks leading up to the tournament.

“I’m so proud of my daughter,” she said. “The gold medal was proof that all of her hard work paid off.”

Kaitlyn looks forward to competing again next year, and inspired by Ellen, hopes to take home a grand championship trophy one day.

I’m pretty happy with my performance today, with the kung fu medal and the lion dance trophy, but I know I can do even better next year, and seeing someone like Ellen taking the title of best female martial artist overall this year is really inspiring.

Quinn fills up his trophy cabinet with two medals of his own

Quinn also entered his first competition, demonstrating two forms for the judges en route to two medals of his own.

Like others on the team, he demonstrated Siu Mui Fa (小梅花拳), earning a hard-fought bronze medal against a stacked field in the Male 18-35 Empty Hand category.

Coming off a shoulder injury and facing off against more experienced competitors, the team was so excited to see him take his first ever medal.

Later, he capped off the day with one last gold medal for the team, earning top honours in the Male 18-35 Short Weapon category.

“The talent level of all the competitors at Can-Am is incredible,” remarked Quinn. “There’s no shame in getting 3rd place, especially seeing how skilled my opponents were. I plan to train hard to compete again next year and hope to get an even better result.”

Chau Luen Athletics lion dance team wins best overall performance in lion dance exhibition

Chau Luen Athletics also sent a team to compete in lion dancing, winning Best Overall Performance in the lion dance exhibition. With some of the strongest representatives from the all-female lion dance team acting as the stars of the show (Ellen on drums, Kaitlyn as head, and Leanne as tail), the team wowed the audience with their captive storytelling.

Their performance, titled “To the Moon and Back”, weaves the tale of a lion being asked by the Moon Goddess (嫦娥) to search for the Jade Rabbit (玉兔), who has gone missing from its perch in the celestial clouds.

After a tireless search through a trail of half-eaten carrots, the lion is able to rescue the Jade Rabbit.

The lion must then summon up the courage to climb the Stairway to Heaven and return the Jade Rabbit to its rightful home.

The team worked for months to prepare the showcase, with the lion dancers being some of the newest to learn a lion dance bench routine. The hard work paid off, however, with our team winning best overall.

“I think it's really impressive what they were able to accomplish in such a short amount of time,” said Andrew, who spent hours coaching the team. “I saw the dedication from the moment they decided to enter the competition and they really delivered. I can’t wait to see what they bring to next year’s lion dance tournament”.

Join us at the next Can-Am tournament!

We want to give a special shout-out to our competitors for their relentless dedication to traditional kung fu and lion dancing. Their training (some of them attending over 8 hours of practice per week on top of practicing on their own) proves their dedication to the club and traditional kung fu.

We would also like to highlight the help of the instructors and the senior students who stepped up to help coach. This was essential to give the competitors the chance to achieve what they did.

Interested in joining us? Our kung fu school is open to everyone who is interested in learning. Sign up today for a free trial class and begin your martial arts journey now!

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