W.A.K.O. World Championships 1991

W.A.K.O. World Championships 1991 were the eight world kickboxing championships hosted by the W.A.K.O. organization. It was the third world championships to be held in London, involving amateur men and women from twenty-eight countries across the world. There were three styles on offer; Semi-Contact, Light-Contact and Musical Forms, and for the first time since Milan 1981, there would be no Full-Contact kickboxing competition at a W.A.K.O. world championships. Each country was allowed one competitor per weight division per category, although participants were allowed to participate in more than one category.

W.A.K.O. World Championships 1991
The poster for W.A.K.O. World Championships 1991.
Information
PromotionW.A.K.O.
DateOctober 12 (Start)
October 13, 1991 (End)
VenueCrystal Palace National Sports Centre
City London, England, UK
Event chronology
W.A.K.O. European Championships 1990 W.A.K.O. World Championships 1991 W.A.K.O. European Championships 1992

By the end of the championships the USA were the top nation, just about pushing hosts Great Britain into second by virtue of their performance in Musical Forms, with Hungary in third. There was also a little bit of history made in London with the American Christine Bannon-Rodrigues being the first person to win three golds at a single championships, winning gold medals in Semi-Contact and Musical Forms (x2).[1] The event was held in London over two days at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in London, England, UK, starting on Saturday 12 October and finishing on Sunday 13 October 1991.[2]

Semi-Contact

Semi-Contact is a form of kickboxing in which fights were won by points given due to technique, skill and speed, with physical force limited - more information on Semi-Contact can be found on the W.A.K.O. website, although the rules will have changed since 1991.[3] The men had seven weight classes, starting at 57 kg/125.4 lbs and ending at over 84 kg/+184.8 lbs, while the women's competition had three weight classes beginning at 50 kg/110 lbs and ending at 60 kg/132 lbs. The most notable winner was Christine Bannon-Rodrigues who would also win two more golds in Musical Forms. By the end of the championships the hosts Great Britain were the strongest nation in Semi-Contact, winning three golds, three silvers and three bronzes across the male and female competitions.[4]

Men's Semi-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table

Event Gold Silver Bronze
-57 kg Cucci Preece Marc Beaudry
Piotr Siegoczynski
-63 kg Martin Kilgus Joe Tierney Giersthoven
Peter Gilpin
-69 kg Pedro Xavier Yves Lalonde Thomas Pfaffl
Billy Bryce
-74 kg Sergio Portaro Christopher Rappold Lajos Hugyetz
Stefan Martin
-79 kg Peter Edwards Delaporte Jim Flood
Richard Barefield
-84 kg Alfie Lewis Bettini Emanuel Bettencourt
Zoltan Szucs
+84 kg Andrew Boyce Cruz Barnabas Katona
Valentini

Women's Semi-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table

Event Gold Silver Bronze
-50 kg Karin Schiller Szepessi Amanda Quansah
Derita
-55 kg Christine Bannon-Rodrigues Hugyetz Deyta
Manon Desrochers
-60 kg Carla Ribeiro Stiegler Mirai
Lawson

Light-Contact

More physical than Semi-Contact but less so than Full-Contact, points were awarded and fights won on the basis of speed and technique over power, and it was seen as a transition stage for fighters who were considering a move from Semi to Full-Contact. More information on Light-Contact rules can be found of the W.A.K.O. website, although be aware that the rules may have changed since 1991.[5] For the first time ever at a W.A.K.O. world championships, both men and women were allowed to take part in Light-Contact, with the men having seven weight classes, starting at 57 kg/125.4 lbs and ending at over 84 kg/+184.8 lbs and the women's having four weight classes beginning at 50 kg/110 lbs and ending at over 60 kg/+132 lbs. The most notable medallist was Jeff Roufus who although he only gained a bronze would later having future success as a multiple pro world champion. By the end of the event, hosts Great Britain were the strongest country in Light-Contact winning four golds, one silver and two bronze medals.[6]

Men's Light-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table

Event Gold Silver Bronze
-57 kg Lantos Jakob Jurgen Shawn Wheat
Ind
-63 kg Ivanov Charles Barron Alan Johnson
Peter Gilpin
-69 kg Evelyn Dwyer David Wilson Carvalho
Drazdynski
-74 kg Lajos Hugyetz Michael Wübke Alberto Montrond
Dushkin
-79 kg George McKenzie Jim Flood Bernd Reichenbach
Csaszar
-84 kg Wilkinson Zoltan Szucs Donet
Adamson
+84 kg Barnabas Katona Morozow Alan Reid
Jeff Roufus

Women's Light-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table

Event Gold Silver Bronze
-50 kg K. Leclerc Szepessi Gabriel Damm
Neglia
-55 kg Stefania Proietti A. Joswig Kathy Carchia
Carson
-60 kg Agnieszka Rylik Gabriella Bady Justina Hall
Gilpin
+60 kg Bailey Lisa Crosby Sasse
Tunde Kocsis

Forms

Musical Forms is a non-physical competition which sees the contestants fighting against imaginary foes using Martial Arts techniques - more information can be accessed on the W.A.K.O. website, although be aware that the rules may have changed since 1991.[7] For the first time ever, women were officially recognised in Musical Forms at a world championships, with the men having four styles and the women three. An explanation of the various styles is provided below:

  • Hard Styles – coming from Karate and Taekwondo.
  • Soft Styles – coming from Kung Fu and Wu-Sha.
  • Hard Styles with Weapons – using weapons such as Kama, Sai, Tonfa, Nunchaku, Bo, Katana.
  • Soft Styles with Weapons - Naginata, Nunchaku, Tai Chi Chuan Sword, Whip Chain.

Women were also allowed to use weapons but it was one separate category. The most notable winner was Christine Bannon-Rodrigues who claimed two gold medals in Soft Styles and Weapons to add to the gold she won in Semi-Contact to make history as the first person to win three golds at a single W.A.K.O. championships. The strongest nation in Musical Forms was the USA with five golds and two silver medals.[8]

Men's Musical Forms Medals Table

Event Gold Silver Bronze
Soft Styles Benjamin Jugwels Richard Brandon Sforza
Hard Styles Jean Frenette David Collins Werner Stark
Lino Guarnaccia
Hard Styles with Weapons Tony Orr Jean Frenette Baba-Milis
Ghorbani
Soft Styles with Weapons Richard Brandon Sylvester Engelhart Mario Eismann
Sporka

Women's Musical Forms Medals Table

Event Gold Silver Bronze
Hard Styles Patricia Lamoureux Ann Gregory Karoline Sutter
Alo
Soft Styles Christine Bannon-Rodrigues Sherida Pattiwaellapia Austin
Anzhenko
Weapons Christine Bannon-Rodrigues Manon Desrochers Anzhenko
Austin

Overall Medals Standing (Top 5)

Ranking Country Gold Silver Bronze
1 USA 7 6 6
2 Great Britain 7 4 7
3 Hungary 3 5 5
4 Italy 3 1 4
5 Canada 2 4 6

See also

References

  1. "MASTER CHRISTINE BANNON-RODRIGUES (Biography)". www.karatekidzonline.com. Retrieved 2011-05-08.
  2. "8th WAKO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS" (PDF). www.wakoweb.com. Retrieved 2011-04-29.
  3. "Semi-Contact Rules" (PDF). www.wakoweb.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2011-04-29.
  4. "8th WAKO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (Men/Women Semi-Contact)" (PDF). www.wakoweb.com. Retrieved 2011-05-08.
  5. "WAKO Light-Contact Rules" (PDF). www.wakoweb.com. Retrieved 2011-04-29.
  6. "8th WAKO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (Men/Women Light-Contact)" (PDF). www.wakoweb.com. Retrieved 2011-05-08.
  7. "WAKO Musical Forms Rules" (PDF). www.wakoweb.com. Retrieved 2011-04-29.
  8. "8th WAKO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (Men/Women Forms)" (PDF). www.wakoweb.com. Retrieved 2011-05-08.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.