Through this year there have been a number of championships and tournaments. Although some had a quieter year as a result of the World Championship last year in 2015, but most fighters held a massive press on the competition front.Whose performance is the strongest this year? It is almost impossible to crown, but we will take a look at some of the highlights – finals. Mainly we have picked EC, EC Open Weigh, All Japan Open in some different organizations and weight categories.

Fighters of the world – you are our inspiration. 

It has also been common to make ranking lists among athletes, but now there are so many EC and WC,WT to join with variable quality, that a system with point out of what position you get in for an example European Championship, will be wrong. One European Championship title could be several fights with highly skilled elite fighters, another title could be a couple of fights at a noticeably lower level. A “Open” tournament could also be at a various level – some times harder than a European Championship with 5-6 fights to the title vs 2-3 fights.

In the beginning of the year several nationals was held. Many of these tournaments will serve as the qualifying tournament for the European Championship and etc. Some nations bland their national with fighters from different organizations, others have nationals each organizations apart fro others.We start with Russia, and IFK. Two well known fighters: ⇐Arthur Tilov  (Aka) – Vitaly Ishahneli Championship Russia 2016. Two of the very best IFK fighters in the World. Probably the most known of the two – Tilov, elite fighter for many years, and very well merited from EC, WC and World Championships.

Next we will take two clips. Two finals from the Shinkyokushin EC. This years editions had new weight categories, and this made reign EC champion in the middleweight Marius Ilas (Romania) ⇒ end up in the final against reign light heavyweight EC champion Valdemaras Gudauskas (Lithuania) in -85 kg. The final, for many is a new way of fighting where “the game” was showed in a more clear way than earlier. And as always, some liked it – some not. For the skeptics – how can these two reach a finals if there is no effects in what they do, or when no one can knock them out? (picture from Louise Helmfrid)

Valeri Dimitrov (Bulgaria) ⇐ capture his 13th EC title (weight category) this year, and showed once again all his skills going through a very strong line up. The next generation of fighters are also been developing strongly, and fighters as Edgard Secinskij (Lithuania), Jean Paul Jacquot (France) and Polish top fighter Macej Mazur are a challenge to face – and not least overcome. This final with Valeri Dimitrov vs Macej Mazur gives us a highly entertaining, not to mention hard completed finale. Two exceptionally good fighters with effective techniques and strategies. Performers at this level is also very good in defense – then it is up to the fighters to find a “crack in the armor” of his opponent ..

IKO European Championship was held in Bulgaria this year, and the Russian fighters was a extreme dominant force. In the men division only three out of sixteen medals was taken by non Russian fighters! -one of them Eldar Ismailov (Ukraine) A technical brilliant fighter that have a very noticeably EC record. This year winner of the -90 kg category, last year winner of the -80 kg, and the year before that 3rd place in the lightweight -70 kg. He did also win the lightweight category back in 2012 – just for the record..!

The Japan Full-Contact Karate Organization JFKO gathers fighters from all over Japan, and from different organisations. This was the 3rd time it was arranged, and one fighter won his third tittle in the middleweight: Yuki Maeda. This year his brother, Syota Maeda, followed it up with winning his category. This after being 2nd last year, and 3rd the year before that. In the final Yuki Maeda faced Tenta Onodara – Aka.

As mention, Russia is an unbelievable strong Kyokushin nation. They have so many top fighters that few can compete with them. The Russian Open Weight attracted huge interests, gathering the best Russian fighters across weight and organizations.  SHIN, IFK, KAN. Also Kazakhstan attended in the tournament. The man who no other could stop was Nazar Nasirov Shin Russia. High pace technical fighting brought him to the top, and on his way he overcome European Champions and more – Nazar Nazirov, Aka.

IKO All Japan Open got new winners inn all categories – except one. The super heavy weight category winner had also take this title in 2014, Syohei Kamada (Japan) This year would be a great year for the Japanese fighter. Winning the 33rd All Japan Weight Category Tournament in the spring is one thing – but also manage to take the 48th All Japan Open weight title in the Autumn is very strong achievement! IKO do have a strong mass of non Japanese fighters in the All Japan Open Tournaments as well, and that increases the level even more. Countries as Russia, Spain, Ukraine to name some of them.

KWU European Championship was held for the first time this year, and the KWU members was this time challenged by some of the best fighters from WKO Europe, with Lithuanian Shin in the lead. But also Poland, Russia, France Shin with more attended. The Russian domination in KWU from IFK and KAN, was expected to continue, or could be tamed this time? It could, and it was done. World champions and runners up was pushed down from the podium, and new champions was made! Of course some of the heavy favorites also delivered as expected, but we will take a look at some new European Champions: Jean Paul Jacquot, France, was one of them ⇒

48th All Japan Open, Shikyokushin  was held in October, and one again a strong Japanese fighter manage to win the Open Weight and the weight categories being held in the spring. No other than the 11th World Championship runner up, Kembu Iriki made this happen. In the final of the 48th All Japan Open, he got his victory and a little “pay back” to Yuji Shimamoto – same fighter that have denied him the victory in the 46th All japan Open and the 11th World Championship in 2015. For Iriki it is been a nice climb from 3rd in the 45th,2nd in the 46th and 1st now in the 48th All Japan Open.

European Open Weight Shinkyokushin – was held 26. November, in Bulgaria. One of the widest line up up to now, filled with several champions and highly skilled fighters. With among thirty fighters in the Open category, being reduced to 26 (injuries etc) the Lithuanian team was one dominant nation of seven fighters in the lineup. not only being a feared nation with very good fighters, but in other words with 1/4 of the total number of participants. Previous winners as Dimitrov and Ilias was not attending this time either. Eventas Guzauskas (Lithuanina) did not only fight, he fought well also – and brought the EC Open Weight title to Lithuania.

In the IKO Open Weight European Championship held in Poland, the “Open weight king” Alejandro Navarro (Spain) took his 7th European Open Weight title. All thought that he did have some decisions in his favor. Well that could some mean, Navarro would still be listed with 6 Open Weight titles.. In the final Navarro faced Russian fighter Andrey Lushin. Lushin, this years heavy weight Russian Champion – that tells us about his level. 

This is of course just a tiny peak of the many fight and fighters the Kyokushin world has to offer. We know that 2017 will bring us at least a similar dose of kyokushin fights with the spirit that carries on the legacy of full contact karate. And at last, thank you all for giving us inspiration and motivation…

Osu!