Tracey Scott competes in first tournament at Funakoshi Karate Open Championships in Warrnambool

Scott, 43, contested her first karate tournament on Sunday, competing at the 25^th annual Funakoshi Karate Open Championships in Warrnambool. It was the first championships since 2019.

"It was a real experience," Warrnambool-based fighter said. "It was a great event with everyone supporting everyone."

Scott, who returned to the sport earlier this year after a 25-year hiatus, said she was "petrified" ahead of her maiden tournament but felt supported enough to tackle it head on. She said her aim was to enjoy the experience and was pleasantly surprised to finish first for Kata and second for Kyu Kata.

"Really it was just the experience for me," she said. "It's something I'll do again. And it was great to see everyone come away with their achievements."

Practising at the Warrnambool dojo, Scott also spends more than two hours training in Terang each Tuesday alongside her original instructor Peter Conroy.

"I couldn't have been prouder," Conroy said of Scott's return to the sport. "It's one of those things you develop a real interest in 25 years ago, then life got in the way... and now she's back again. It's so cool."

Scott's initial introduction to the sport saw her learn self defence as a teenager alongside her mum. It soon became a family affair when her brother got involved before Scott gave up karate after high school.

"I've regretted it (leaving) ever since and it's literally taken me 25 years to get back into it between getting married and having kids," she said. "I certainly love every minute of it now."

She said returning to the sport was about "making time for herself".

"Putting myself as a priority for something... and confidence was the main thing," she said. "When I was younger I was certainly very shy and I came out of my shell and built confidence which I attribute entirely to karate. And that's carried through my entire life."

Scott said she would focus on training and grading following the championships. She wants to reach the level she was at 25 years ago before eventually pursuing an interest in teaching children.

Tournament organiser Sarah Irving was thrilled to see the championships, which had more than 110 entries, return to Warrnambool after a two-year hiatus. The championships also includes an all-abilities division, the only one of its kind in Victoria.

Australian Karate Federation official Jase Nichols, who judged the category, said presenting winner Rebecca Biddle her trophy was the "most satisfying moment of my karate life".

"As I handed her her trophy, the emotion she showed made me tear up," he said on social media.

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