One week after the 11th Shinkyokushinkai World Tournament, and we slowly starts to take in all the impressions that we got during one of the largest full contact events one can attend. The tournament as also known to be the last for some of the greatest profiles we have, and in a another direction we also got prominent guest and fighters from the KWU and JFKO. With others words many cases one could talk a great deal about. But we are going to take a little dive into the tournament – of course!
World Champion Women – Szepesi Csenge HUNGARY
Link to tons of super pictures Sandy Juhasz FB
Only held every 4th year and with one, open weight class the Shinkyokushinkai World Championship are with out doubt one of the – if not the hardest World Tournament to enter in the world of Kyokushin. 7 or 8 fights to reach the top for the (depending of the draw) Also important to remember that this is not an open tournament as “every can if they want” and qualifying by region (as European Champiionship etc) as one of the criteria, will raise the level. Further as we speak of raising the level, the KWU and JFKO also joined the World Tournament, and that with some of 
the top fighters..
This was the 3rd World Championship for women. The first one in 2007 was a great success, and the in the women division the fighters and teams have been working very hard to keep the level growing. In the first championship, Hungarian super fighter Veronika Szovetes blasted through the tournament and became the first World Champion for women. Winning after one round 5-0 against Misaki Sato from Japan, this was a overwhelming victory. See the finale here.
2011 Japanese star fighter Emi Shoguchi took the first Japanese World Title for women, beating top favorite Margarita Ciuplyte from Lithuania in a close fight. Also the 3rd place went to overseas fighter Carolleen Brix, from Greece. The tournament also showed other great fighters from Japan, Lithuania, Hungary, Kazakhstan and more, and no doubt that the level was going the right direction.
This year two of the the winning nation Japan and Hungary was set up to be favorites. That said Lithuania and Russia was also at the same line with many strong fighters. Russia and the Japanese teams was also from several organizations – top notch.
All know the results by now, and that it would be Hungarian World Champion – maybe not the biggest surprise but any thing can happen during the tournament. In the first day of the tournament, the surprising part mainly came in form of the strong KWU fighters leaving the tournament with an early exit. But also the reign World Champion Emi Shoguchi lost by decision against a strong, high pace fighter from Lithuania in Gabija Gudeliauskaite.
KWU – IFK starfighter Emma Markwell reign IFK European Champion and runner up in the KWU World Championship, was not any threat when she meet Misaki Sato from Japan. Sato in full control the whole fight, and showed that her routine combined with skills are still more than most can take. Markwell also getting Genten warning, making it even more difficult. Sato finished at ta strong third place, to strong for impressive Yui Kikukawa also from Japan, and Ashihara Kaikan.
Misaki Sato in full control.
A more even bout was between Mariya Panova Russia KWU-IFK- Agata Winiarska (Kaliciak) – Poland. A good fight with two fighter very similar in style and strength. Both good pace and power, most punching an constant pressure. Winiarska (Kaliciak) maybe a little ahead with little higher pace 3-2 flags to Poland, many believed that a extension was coming up, but Poland advanced. Maybe many figured that this was a “now the shoe is on the other foot” syndrome, remembering Kaliciak been robbed for the victory in the 1/8 final in IFK World Cup 2013. Kaliciak looses on weight to Juri Minamihara in the next fight.
Emi Shoguchi was not the only reign world champions who met hard European challenge. Irina Kriazheva KWU-IFK Russia, KWU World Champion last month, KWF World Cup champion 2013, met Hungarian Zsofia Szabo in the first fight. Kriazheva outweighing her opponent with over 10 kilos, could not lock down Szabo movement and high pace fighting. 3-2 by flag after one extension, and with the weight on her side as well the Russian World Champion – out in the first fight.
Szabo with a great performance loses against Yui Kikukawa Ashihara, in the next round.
One of the home favorites also went out in the first fight, Sayaka Kato lost her first fight against the European Champion from 2013, Rūta Brazdžionytė from Lithuania. This was the second big win for the Lithuanian team, stopping Kato as well as Emi Shoguchi.
The payback came from the 16 year old Japanese raising star Juri Minamihara, stopping Rūta Brazdžionytė in a 3 rounds war from start to the finish. Minamihara also had one early big win, Inga Mikstaite the multiply European Champion lost in her first fight of the day. Juri Minamihara continues her drive, victorious against Yui Kikukawa Japan Ashihara in the semifinal before she looses the final against Szepesi Csenge in the final. Csenge Szepesi has on her way to the final win against Momoka Oba – Japan KWU, Noriko Yokoyama – Japan, Gabija Gudeliauskaite – Lithuania, Misaki Sato – Japan and Juri Minamihara in the final.
Winning the World Championship in Japan is the biggest win one can achieve as a fighter. Beating the home fighters are almost impossible, and Szepesi Csenge manage to do it over and over again.
it is a big responsibility to be a world champion too. One is when a person who people look up to and motivates. In this case we can only be happy, and that based on the interview after the final – this is truly a world champion!
The fighting in the women category develops, and it will continues to do that. Some point out that it goes to extensions in the fights too often, and misses some destructive power. Not fan of that tough, but why not begin to see in that direction as many countries all ready has done – take away the leg protection as a start. 4 years since last WT and 4 to the next… what can we expect in 2019? Did we expect to be at this point today? And what do we see in the distant horizon? Time will show.
We can only thank all the people that are involved in this great event, this is so much more than just a contest, a sport. This is Budo.