W.A.K.O. World Championships 1991
Encyclopedia
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.
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). The event was held in London over two days at the Wembley Centre
in London, England, UK
, starting on Saturday 12 October and finishing on Sunday 13 October 1991.
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.
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.
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 stongest nation in Musical Forms was the USA
with five golds and two silver medals.
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
championships hosted by the W.A.K.O.
World Association of Kickboxing Organizations
The World Association of Kickboxing Organisations is one the international organization of kickboxing, and the governing body of Amateur kickboxing sport certified by SportAccord...
organization. It was the third world championships to be held in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, involving amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
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.
By the end of the championships the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
were the top nation, just about pushing hosts Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
into second by virtue of their performance in Musical Forms, with Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
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). The event was held in London over two days at the Wembley Centre
Wembley Conference Centre
Wembley Conference Centre was a conference centre near Wembley Stadium, Wembley, in London, England.-History:Opened in 1977, it was the first purpose built Conference Centre in the UK. Events included conferences, corporate hospitality, annual general meetings, banquets and sports events including...
in London, England, UK
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, starting on Saturday 12 October and finishing on Sunday 13 October 1991.
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. The men had seven weight classes, starting at 57 kg/125.4 lbsPound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
and ending at over 84 kg/+184.8 lbs
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
, while the women's competition had three weight classes beginning at 50 kg/110 lbs
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
and ending at 60 kg/132 lbs
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
. 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
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
were the strongest nation in Semi-Contact, winning three golds, three silvers and three bronzes across the male and female competitions.
Men's Semi-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table
| -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  |
Tim 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
| -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. 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 lbsPound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
and ending at over 84 kg/+184.8 lbs
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
and the women's having four weight classes beginning at 50 kg/110 lbs
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
and ending at over 60 kg/+132 lbs
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
. The most notable medallist was Jeff Roufus
Jeff Roufus
Jeff "Duke" Roufus is an American former kickboxer who is now one of the top trainers as head coach of the Roufusport competition team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA...
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
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
were the strongest country in Light-Contact winning four golds, one silver and two bronze medals.
Men's Light-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table
| -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 | Tim Flood |
Bernd Reichenbach Csaszar |
| -84 kg | Wilkinson | Zoltan Szucs |
Donet Adamson  |
| +84 kg | Barnabas Katona |
Morozow |
Alan Reid Jeff Roufus Jeff Roufus Jeff "Duke" Roufus is an American former kickboxer who is now one of the top trainers as head coach of the Roufusport competition team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA... |
Women's Light-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table
| -50 kg | K. Leclerc |
Szepessi |
Gabriel Damm Neglia |
| -55 kg | Stefania Proietti |
A. Joswig | Kathy Carchia Carson |
| -60 kg | 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. 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 explaination 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 stongest nation in Musical Forms was the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with five golds and two silver medals.
Men's Musical Forms Medals Table
| Soft Styles | Richard Brandon |
Sforza |
Simson |
| Hard Styles | Jean Frenette |
David Collins |
Stark Lino Guarnaccia |
| Hard Styles with Weapons | Tony Orr |
Jean Frenette |
Baba-Milis Ghorbani  |
| Soft Styles with Weapons | Richard Brandon |
Engelhardt |
Eismann Sporka |
Women's Musical Forms Medals Table
| Hard Styles | Patricia Lamoureux |
Ann Gregory |
Karoline Sutter Alo |
| Soft Styles | Christine Bannon-Rodrigues |
Waellapia |
Austin Anzhenko |
| Weapons | Christine Bannon-Rodrigues |
Manon Desrochers |
Anzhenko Austin |
Overall Medals Standing (Top 5)
| Ranking | Country | Gold  |
Silver  |
Bronze  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
7 | 6 | 6 |
| 2 | Great Britain Great Britain Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles... |
7 | 4 | 7 |
| 3 | Hungary Hungary Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The... |
3 | 5 | 5 |
| 4 | Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
3 | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
2 | 4 | 6 |
See also
- List of WAKO Amateur World Championships
- List of WAKO Amateur European Championships
- List of male kickboxers
- List of female kickboxers
- List of kickboxing organizations