Joseph Henry Lewis was an American karateka, kickboxer, and actor. As a fighter, Lewis gained fame for his matches in the 1960s and 1970s, and was nicknamed "the Muhammad Ali of karate." He has twice been voted the greatest fighter in karate history, having won innumerable karate tournaments, and has attained the titles of "United States Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion," "World Heavyweight Full Contact Karate Champion," and "United States National Black Belt Kata Champion."
Masutatsu Ōyama, more commonly known as Mas Oyama, was a karate master who founded Kyokushin Karate, considered the first and most influential style of full contact karate. A Zainichi Korean, he spent most of his life living in Japan and acquired Japanese citizenship in 1968.
Gretchen Malalad is a Filipina athlete, beauty titleholder, and news personality. She was a 2005 Southeast Asian Games karate gold medalist and a former beauty pageant contestant in Binibining Pilipinas 2003 where she emerged Ms. Talent and Ms. Red Bull Supreme. She is native from the Duyay, Boac, province of Marinduque. She was also a housemate in Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition 1.
The Karate World Championships, also known as the World Karate Championships, are the highest level of competition for karate organized by the World Karate Federation (WKF). The competition is held in a different city every two years. Championships in the 2000s included Madrid in 2002, Monterrey in 2004, Tampere in 2006, Tokyo in 2008, and Belgrade in 2010. The competition was initially riddled with controversy regarding karate styles and the ruleset.
Hideo Ochi is a Japanese master of karate. He is ranked 9th Dan, and is a former Japan Karate Association (JKA) World Champion in kumite (sparring) and kata (patterns). He was also coach of the German national team and Chief Instructor for JKA Europe. In 1997, he received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Terrance Alan "Tokey" Hill is an American karateka most well known for being the first male American to ever win a WUKO/WKF World Karate Championship which he achieved at the 1980 World Karate Championships in the 80 kg Kumite category. He also won a bronze medal in Kumite at the World Games 1981 He would open up his own school in 1983. He has also been a kickboxing coach for Michael McDonald and later a karate coach for the USA National Karate-do Federation
Victor John-Charles is a British karateka. He has an 8th Dan black belt in karate and is the winner of multiple individual and team medals at the World Championship, World Games and European Karate Championships. Vic Charles came 3rd in 1983 television competition Superstars. Vic Charles was awarded an MBE for Services to karate in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 1989. This was the first time the sport of karate had been acknowledged in such a fashion. On retiring from competitive karate in 1990 Vic continued as Chief Instructor of British Sport Karate Association (B.S.K.A.) the Association he established in 1985. The Association dominated English karate competitions and won 2 European Club Team titles. The Association counted 3 World and European Champions as members Mervyn Etienne, Mike Sailsman, and Willie Thomas. Vic was appointed English National Coach in 1996 and became Technical Manager of the Performance Plan in 1997 until 1999. He was a member of the board of Karate England until 1999.
Molly Irene Samuel-Leport MBE is a British karateka, community leader and political candidate. She has a 6th Dan black belt in karate and is the winner of multiple European Karate Championships. Samuel-Leport received the 1989 Sunday Times International Sports Woman of the Year and 1987 Jamaican Jubilee Award for Excellence.
Billy Higgins is a British karateka and former kumite competitor. He holds an 8th-degree black belt from the KUGB, was a winner of multiple European championships, and a gold medalist in men's kumite with the British team at the 1975 World Karate Championships in Long Beach, California.
Eugene Codrington, is a British karateka. He has an 8th Dan black belt in karate and is the winner of multiple European Karate Championships and was part of first non- Japanese team to win a World Karate Championships. Eugene is a founder member of the English Karate Governing Board (EKGB) for whom he is Senior Coach.
The 1976 European Karate Championships were held in Tehran from 5 - 7 May 1976 and were the 11th championship in the series. The event was organized by the European Karate Union.
Junior Lefevre is a Belgian-Croatian karateka. He has a 6th Dan black belt in karate and is the winner of multiple World Karate Championships and European Karate Championships medals representing both Croatia and Belgium at tournaments. He is also chairman of C.I.K.A world.
Guusje van Mourik she is a Dutch karateka, judoka and boxer. She has a 4th Dan black belt in karate, and is the winner of multiple World Karate Championships, and is in The Guinness Book of Records for winning the most karate medals. She was four times world champion, six times European champion and twenty five times national champion in this discipline in the class 60+ kilograms. Also, she was once Taiko world champion and won several medals at the Dutch Judo National Championships. Guusje first found success she achieved in 1974 by winning a silver medal in judo. In 1982 she became Dutch and world champion karate. In 1987, Gussje was given Order of Orange-Nassau. In 1989 she made her debut as a boxer. In 1992 she became head coach of the women's karate team. Since retiring from competitive karate Guus is now a dental technician.
John Fonseca is a former American karateka most known for being the first karate athlete in the world to win repeat gold medals at the Pan American Games, first American to medal at the Karate World Championships in almost 16 years (kumite), and first American to win the Paris Open in more than 30 years.
Achraf Ouchen, is a Moroccan Karateka athlete who competes in the heavyweight division.
Steven Da Costa, sometimes written as Steven Dacosta is a French karateka. He won the gold medal in the men's 67 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan. He is also a two-time gold medalist in the men's 67 kg event at the World Karate Championships and a two-time gold medalist in this event at the European Karate Championships.
Irina Zaretska is a Ukrainian and Azerbaijani karateka. She won the silver medal in the women's +61 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan. She is a two-time gold medalist in the women's 68 kg event at the World Karate Championships and the Islamic Solidarity Games. She also won the gold medal in this event at the 2015 European Games and the 2021 European Karate Championships.
Emily Thouy is a French karateka. She became world champion in the women's kumite 55 kg event at the 2016 World Karate Championships held in Linz, Austria.
Alizée Agier is a French karateka. She won the gold medal in the women's kumite 68 kg event at the 2014 World Karate Championships held in Bremen, Germany. She also won the gold medal in this event at the 2019 European Karate Championships held in Guadalajara, Spain.
Dastonbek Otabolaev is an Uzbekistani karateka. He won the gold medal in the men's 75 kg event at the 2021 World Karate Championships held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He is the first ever Uzbek and Central Asian Karate World Champion. He is Master of sport international level and Black belt 4-dan. He is Captain national karate team of Uzbekistan.
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