January 25, 2003

World Champions George Kotaka and Elisa Au Lead U.S. Karate Team Into San Jose, Calif. for 2003 Titan Games

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The USA National Karate-do Federation announced today that it will be fielding one of its strongest teams in international competitive history to represent the United States in the upcoming Titan Games, Feb. 13-15, in San Jose, Calif. Led by 2002 World Champions George Kotaka (Honolulu, Hawaii/under 65 kg) and Elisa Au (Honolulu, Hawaii/over 60 kg), each of the nine-member contingent has dominated their respective weight categories in the United States and currently ranks number one in the nation in their divisions. The U.S. karate team will face stiff competition from a talented squad from Mexico in this dual meet.

Kotaka and Au returned victorious from the 2002 World Karate Championships in Madrid, Spain, where they competed among more than 145 member countries. The performances of Au and Kotaka pulled the United States into fifth place in the world standing after stunning victories against Hungary and Germany respectively, in the final rounds of this grueling three-day competition.

Kotaka’s gold medal performance at the 2002 World Karate Championships is the highlight of a very impressive competitive resume that only continues to build. This victory bested his bronze medal performance at the 2000 World Karate Championships. The five-time U.S. National Karate Team member will be using the Titan Games as a springboard on the road to the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where he looks to defend his 1999 Pan American Games gold medal. Last year he also brought home the bronze medal from the Pan American Karate Championships in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Other notable victories for Kotaka include gold in the 2000 World University Karate Championships, gold in the 1999 Pan American Karate Championships and silver in the 1998 Pan American Karate Championships.

“It is an honor for me to represent my country and my federation at the Titan Games,” said Kotaka. “I hope it will be a memorable event filled with intense competition and great sportsmanship.”

Au enters the Titan Games following impressive gold medal performances in the open division and the over 60 kg division at the recent U.S. Open Karate Championships in Las Vegas, Nev., Jan. 4, 2003. She captured two gold medals at the 2002 World Karate Championships, as well as the 2002 World Maccabiah Games. At the 2002 Women’s World Cup in Toulon, France, Au became a tour de force on the senior national team winning gold. Her dominance was undeniable as was her important role on the U.S. team that went on to win a silver medal in the team event. Last year she also won gold at the Pan American Karate Championships. She has been on the U.S. National Karate Team for four years.

Rounding out the women’s side of the roster will be two Californians, Maile Chinen (San Jose, Calif./under 60 kg) and Eliza Cabanig (Stockton, Calif./under 53 kg). Chinen, a nine year national team veteran, comes into the Titan Games with high hopes. She won a bronze medal at the 2002 Pan American Karate Championships. Her stunning work in Toulon, France at the International Women’s Cup earned her a silver and bronze medal in team and individual kumite respectively. Chinen has set her sights on returning to the Pan American Games in August of this year, with hopes of bettering her bronze medal performance from the 1999 Pan American Games. Cabanig has represented the United States as a member of the U.S. National Karate Team in three international events. She won silver medals in the 2001 and 2002 U.S. National Karate Championships.

On the men’s side, Ali Anissipour (Redmond, Wash./over 80 kg) joins his teammates in the heavyweight division. The 20-year-old honor scholarship student in the pre-med program at the University of Washington, has extensive international competitive experience on both the senior and junior levels. Earlier this month, he won the gold medal at the U.S. Open Karate Championships. In 2002 he won the gold medal at the Pan American Karate Championships. Anissipour, a five-time national champion, has also captured gold at the 2001 U.S. Open Karate Championships and silver at the 2001 Pan American Karate Championships. He competed in his first international competition at the tender age of 12 when he helped his team win the overall points title at the Junior World Cup Karate Championships.

U.S. Titan Games Karate Team Head Coach, Hideharu Igaki has high praise for Anissipour, “Ali has amazing flexibility and speed. Opponents are unable to stop any of his kicks to the head or body unless he makes a mistake in telegraphing. He is one of our most well rounded athletes.”

Tommy Hood (Columbia, S.C./under 75 kg) enters the 2003 Titan Games as the 2002 Pan American Karate Champion. One of the more senior members of the team, Hood has long dominated his weight category in the U.S. National Karate Championships. He has been a member of the U.S. National Karate Team for nine years and was a member of the 1999 U.S. Pan American Games Team. He won a bronze medal at the 2000 Pan American Karate Championships and has represented his country at four World Karate Championships.

Team USA has two entrants in the men’s under 80 kg division, John Fonseca (Chicago, Ill./under 80 kg) and Billy Finegan (New York, N.Y./under 80