Thursday, February 13, 2003

U.S. Karate Team Wows Crowd With Impressive Performances in Opening Night of Inaugural Titan Games

SAN JOSE, CALIF. – On a night that saw some of the greatest Olympic legends of all time honored by the United States Olympic Committee as “Olympic Titans”, the U.S. karate team got the competition off to a rousing start in the inaugural Titan Games at the Event Center at San Jose State University, winning seven of the 11 bouts versus Mexico.

2002 World Karate Champions Elisa Au and George Kotaka set the stage for the U.S with early victories in this first-time event. Kotaka showed the skills that helped to make him a world champion in his six to two win over Xavier Jauregul of Mexico.

“It was a great match,” said Kotaka. “The fighter from Mexico definitely brought out his ‘A’ game. It was just a really good match overall. It was really intense from the beginning. It was a great match.”

Kotaka is also excited about this event being aired on ESPN 2, March 29 and 30, 2003. “That is going to be probably the greatest thing for karate. Karate doesn’t get a lot of exposure or sponsorship, but this is the perfect opportunity to showcase karate.”

Au pulled double duty tonight competing in both the women’s +60 kg/132 lbs. division and the women’s open division. In the +60 kg/132 lbs. Division she defeated Mexico’s Leticia Montoya by the score of four to one. She came up short against Yadira Lira of Mexico in the women’s open division, two to four, but said she was really excited that her sport was seen in this exciting format.

“I like it a lot,” said Au. I think it adds excitement to the competition and it allows us to see other sports that are somewhat similar to ours, which makes it interesting. I like it and in the long run I think it will help karate.”

The United States Karate Team will again take the mat against Mexico, Saturday afternoon, February 15 from 12 noon to 3:00 p.m. at the Event Center at San Jose State University.

Developed by the USOC in partnership with the affiliated NGBs and hosted by the San Jose Sports Authority and the City of San Jose, the Titan Games features a "USA versus the World" format in dual and triangular meets. The Titan Games venue accommodates four platforms with competition continuously happening on at least three platforms. The event's format is the first of its kind and is being staged over three finals-only format sessions at the 5,000-seat Event Center at San Jose State University. Team and individual winners will be named by sport and weight classification, with the honor of "Ultimate Titan" up for grabs.

ESPN2 will delay broadcast the event with hour-long programs on March 29, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. (EST), and March 30, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. (EST).

Tickets for The Titan Games Tickets are available at all San Jose Ticketmaster locations and at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available directly through the involved National Governing Bodies. Olympic fans using their Visa card to purchase tickets will receive an additional $4 off the pre-sale ticket price. All ticket holders will also receive a free 2002 Olympic Winter Games beret.

Results:

Women’s -53 kg/116.6 lbs. - Marta Embriz (MEX) def. Eliza Cabanig (USA), 7-1.

Men’s -60 kg/132 lbs. - Neil Estaris (USA) def. Reuben Navarro (MEX), 2-0

Women’s -60 kg/132 lbs. - Maile Chinen (USA) def. Yadira Lira (MEX), 5-1

Men’s -65 kg/143 lbs. - George Kotaka (USA) def. Xavier Jauregul (MEX), 6-2

Women’s +60 kg/132 lbs. - Elisa Au (USA) def. Leticia Montoya (MEX), 4-1

Men’s -70 kg/154 lbs. - Adam Older (USA) def. Gabriel Garcia (MEX), 6-3

Women’s Open - Yadira Lira (MEX) def. Elisa Au (USA), 4-2

Men’s -75 kg/165 lbs. – Alonso Murayama (MEX) def. Tommy Hood (USA), 3-2

Men’s -80 kg/176 lbs. – John Fonseca (USA) def. Armando Medina (MEX), 6-2

Men’s +80 kg/176 lbs. – Ali Anissipour (USA) def. Vicente Briones (MEX), 12-2

Men’s Open – Armando Medina (MEX) def. Billy Finnegan (USA), 4-2

For more information, please contact the USOC Media and Public Relations Division at (719) 866-4529.