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16^th World Karate Federation Championships - Madrid, Spain 11/21-24/2002

The 16^th World Karate Federation Championships held in Madrid marks the best performance by American Karateka in 22 years of international competition.  Outstanding gold medal performances by Elisa Nohelani Au and George Kotaka signal the Karate world that Team USA, under the leadership of talented coaches like Hideharu Igaki Sensei, is coming of age and is preparing to bring home even more gold.

An interview with 
Elisa Nohelani Au

The headline in the local newspaper read "Just say Au" -- not bad when you consider they were speaking of the very attractive, and now WKF World Champion, Elisa Au -- who is hard at work getting her degree in civil engineering. We had the chance to interview her recently, and get her thoughts on a few events.

Madrid

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE COMPETITION?

The World Championships was everything that I had hoped for. There was great competition and a very large crowd. It was also very intense because every athlete was there to win.

HOW DO YOU THINK THE COMPETITORS AND OFFICIALS ARE ADJUSTING TO THE NEW RULES?

The transition seemed to be very smooth from the 2000 World Championships in Munich. The athletes did not seem to change their techniques very much, but strategy has changed a little. The referees did very well

CAN YOU GIVE US SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF OTHER TEAM USA MEMBER MATCHES?

I was impressed by the way Gino Bough and Neil Estaris performed in their respective weight categories. Although it was their first time at the World Championships, both showed good speed, technique, and a lot of confidence. I was most impressed with George's performance. He dominated each opponent from the start. It was his success that gave me the confidence to do well in my division the following day.
 
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF SOME OF THE OTHER TEAMS AND COMPETITORS?  DID YOU HAVE ANY OBSERVATIONS THAT MIGHT HELP YOUR FELLOW UNITED STATES COMPETITORS?

At first glance the other teams seem very strong. When I went to World Championships for the first time in 2000, I was impressed and maybe even a little intimidated by their confidence and professionalism. This time, I was convinced that my technique was better and faster than any of my opponents. That is the confidence that our athletes need to have before attending any international competition.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR MATCHES LEADING UP TO THE FINALS, AND THEN ABOUT THE FINAL MATCH? PERHAPS YOU CAN TELL US A BIT ABOUT THE SUPPORT FROM THE TEAM, DELEGATION AND FANS?

My fist two matches were all about staying composed and sticking to my strong techniques. My first match against Italy was tough because I was not completely in my own rhythim while she had already had a previous match. My match against Netherlands was a little better because I had already gained confidence. The greatest confidence booster was when the Spanish crowd changed "USA, USA" before and during my match with France. Fischer from France is very well known but I knew that I could use my speed and quickness to beat her

My semi-final match was against the competitor from Yugoslavia. I had fought this girl at the World University Championships back in August and was beaten outright. Since then, I have thought about what I needed to do to beat fighters like her. This helped me to get past her and into the finals.

I had the most confidence going into the final match. I was not very nervous (surprisingly!) even though the ring coordinators would not tell me when I would be going up. It seemed like the shortest match and when I heard the buzzer ring... I could not believe what had just happened.

READ BILL BLY'S ENTIRE INTERVIEW WITH ELISA NOHELANI AU IN "AMERICAN SAMURAI" MAGAZINE
(VOLUME 8, 2003). GO TO AMERICAN SAMURAI FOR MORE DETAILS.

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16th WKF Championships - Madrid - volume 1 (item #cmp509)
Now Available from DOSHIN Martial Arts for only $65.00 
(plus $4.00 S&H for orders within the continental United States)

order with our secure credit card order form

16th WKF Championships - Madrid - volume 2 (item #cmp510)
Now Available from DOSHIN Martial Arts for only $65.00 
(plus $4.00 S&H for orders within the continental United States)

order with our secure credit card order form

Order both volumes of the 16^th and receive free shipping within the continental United States

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Elisa Nohelani Au has been taking Karate with the International Karate Federation since the age of 5. At the time of this publication, she was teaching at the IKF Punahou and University locations.

Au is a very accomplished competitor, winning many prestigious awards. In addition to her 11 AAU National Championship and All-Hawaii titles, she has captured the following 2002 titles:

• 16^thWKF World Championships (Madrid, Spain)
  1^st Place Women's +60 kilo Kumite
  
• WKF Women's World Cup (Toulon, France)
  1^st Place Women's Open Kumite & 2^nd Place Women's Team Kumite
  
• WKF Pan American Championships (Puerto Rico)
  1^st Place Women's Open Kumite & 3^rd Place Women's +60 kilo Kumite
  
• AAU/USA National Championships (Salt Lake City, Utah)
  Women's Kumite Grand Champion
  
• USANKF National Championships (Norfolk, Virginia)
  1^st Place Women's +60 kilo Kumite
  

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An Interview with
 Hideharu Igaki Sensei

by Steven Heyl

Sensei, congratulations on the terrific job you did in Madrid!  You must be very pleased with the performance of the U.S. fighters... particularly with George Kotaka and Elisa Au?

Thank you for your kind words.  The Athletes deserve the lion's share of the credit for the team's accomplishments.  George and Elisa were outstanding.  I am sure they would be the first to acknowledge the help and support they received from their families, team-mates, instructor and the federation.

Did you you have any idea that the athletes would perform as well as they did?

I was confident that the team would come home with several medals.  They had all been working hard.  We had been having success consistently for the last couple of years so... it felt like it was the right time.

How do you think the American fighters stack up against the rest of the world?

I think our fighters are just as good.  The results over the last few years seem to demonstrate that.  Our athletes have been winning since 1996.  John Fonseca started it off with his performance in South Africa.  It has just kept going since then.

How is the team now?

We have terrific athletes.  They are working with good instructors.  We have a strong momentum going.  We need to make sure that it continues.

What are some of the challenges one faces as a National team coach?

I think that a coach has to establish a good relationship with both the individual athlete and the team as a whole.  There has to be trust on both sides... an understanding that everyone is working for the benefit of each other... a common goal. Next... I think that a coach has to figure out the athlete's strengths and weaknesses as a competitor.  From there... the two should work on developing a ring strategy to emphasize those strong points.  They should also come up with a plan to work on the weak points... so that the competitor continues to grow and develop.

How do you balance the relationships... a Karateka has a working relationship with their own instructor.  At international competition... they work with you and the coaching staff... how does it all work?

I assume that everyone involved is working towards the same goal... a positive experience for the athlete... and... hopefully... success in the ring.

I try my best to not interfere with the athlete and their instructor. I try to work with both of them... for the benefit of the athlete.

Is it difficult... learning to work with a number of personalities in a short period of time?

No... not difficult... just... challenging!  One athlete prefers to be left alone before competition... another wants to be around people.  It can be very interesting!

Who is on the National Coaching Staff at this time?

Mr. Jimmy Blann (Chairman of Coaches Committee), Hector Torres and myself.

Were there any "tough" fights for George or Elisa... a time when you were concerned for them?

From my viewpoint, I was always concerned about every match.  Every match was potentially tough for them.  The overall level of competition at events like this is getting stronger.   Both Elisa and George had tough draws as did every other American athlete.

I was very confident in the athletes... knowing that they believed so strongly in their selves.   They were able to win through having confidence in their talent, techniques, speed, endurance, strategy, etc.

This confidence is the outcome of the amount of practice and training they go through just for this Championship alone.  Because of the support they received from their families, the Dojo, their instructors, team-mates, the coaches and the federation -- they had no reason not to believe in themselves.

I hope that everyone understands that in order to become World Champions, George and Elisa had to beat the defending World Champions.  I think that is a great accomplishment.

We here at DOSHIN are pleased by the success of the USANKF's national team at the 16^th WKF World Championships (Madrid, Spain). We have had the distinct honor of training with Hideharu Igaki Sensei while he maintained a Meibu-Kai Dojo in Culver City. If you are interested in more about Igaki Sensei's training methods and philosophies, follow this link -- WINNING: Competition Karate

16th WKF Championships - Madrid - volume 1 (item #cmp509)
Now Available from DOSHIN Martial Arts for only $65.00 
(plus $4.00 S&H for orders within the continental United States)

order with our secure credit card order form

16th WKF Championships - Madrid - volume 2 (item #cmp510)
Now Available from DOSHIN Martial Arts for only $65.00 
(plus $4.00 S&H for orders within the continental United States)

order with our secure credit card order form

Order both volumes of the 16^th and receive free shipping within the continental United States

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