August 1, 2025

Written by Evan Bloom

Pictured left to right: Srihari Mohan holding his Junior Olympic Medals with his karate teacher Hanshi Rande Lawrence

For Immediate Release

A First For Central New York As Fayetteville Karate Student Wins Multiple Medals At Junior Olympics

Srihari Mohan wins two gold, a silver and a bronze medal

FAYETTEVILLE, NY. – August 1, 2025 – In a first for Central New York karate, nine-year-old Srihari Mohan, a student at Lawrence World Class Karate, has returned victorious from the 2025 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Junior Olympic Games held recently in Houston Texas. He won two gold medals, a silver medal, and a bronze medal at the global sporting event.

The 2025 AAU Junior Olympic Games ends on August 2nd and will have included over 16,000 athletes from ages eight to 18. It is the largest youth multi-sport event held in the United States. The karate events were held on July 25th, 26th, and 27th respectively.

Srihari’s two gold medals were for kubudo (weapons systems) in the weapons category. He was awarded a gold for the Bo staff, a long weapon, and one for the Sais, a short stabbing weapon. His silver medal was for team kumite which is a controlled competitive fight using basic techniques delivered with "empty hands." His bronze medal was for open kumite.

“I am beyond proud of Srihari’s phenomenal achievement,” said Hanshi (Master) Rande Lawrence, head teacher at Lawrence World Class Karate. “He competed against the best karate athletes in the United States and held his own. The competition was tough, and Srihari was focused and determined. His medals reflect his dedication and the tremendous effort that he put into his preparation and the events that he entered at the competition.”

Srihari Mohan said, “I practiced very hard for many weeks, and I am very pleased with my results. I’d like to thank Hanshi and all my fellow karate students at Lawrence World Class Karate for their support. I look forward to next year’s competition.”

Lawrence World Class Karate dojo is the only karate school in Central New York specializing in traditional Japanese Shotokan and Okinawan Goju-ryu Karate Systems.

The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is the largest, non-profit, event-driven multi-sports organizations in the country. Founded in 1888 to establish standards and uniformity in sports, the AAU philosophy of “Sports For All, Forever” is now shared by nearly 1,000,000 members and 150,000 volunteers across 45 sports programs and 55 U.S. districts annually.

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Press contact for interviews with Hanshi Lawrence: 

Evan Bloom

Fortress Strategic Communications

evan@fortresscomms.com 

(315)744-4912