Sakura Kokumai

Sakura Kokumai (born October 2, 1992)[2][3] is an American karateka. In 2019, she won the gold medal in the women's individual kata event at the 2019 Pan American Games held in Lima, Peru.[4][5] She is scheduled to represent the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.[6][7]

Sakura Kokumai
Personal information
CitizenshipUnited States
Born (1992-10-02) October 2, 1992
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
EducationDoshisha University[1]
Alma materWaseda University
Height5 ft 0 in (1.52 m)
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportShitō-ryū Karate
Rank4th Degree Black Belt[1]
Achievements and titles
Highest world ranking5th
Medal record
Women's karate
Representing  United States
Pan American Games
2019 Lima Individual kata
World Karate Championships
2012 Paris Individual kata
World Combat Games
2013 Saint Petersburg Individual kata

Career

In 2012, she won a bronze medal in the individual kata event at the 2012 World Karate Championships held in Paris, France.[2] The following year, she won the bronze medal in the women's kata event at the 2013 World Combat Games held in Saint Petersburg, Russia.[8] In 2014, she won the gold medal in the women's kata event at the 2014 Pan American Sports Festival held in Tlaxcala, Mexico.[9]

At the 2017 World Games held in Wrocław, Poland, she lost her bronze medal match against Sandy Scordo of France in the women's kata event.[10] In 2018, she competed in the women's individual kata event at the 2018 World Karate Championships held in Madrid, Spain where she was eliminated in her third match by Viviana Bottaro of Italy.[11]

In 2019, she competed in the women's individual kata event at the 2019 World Beach Games held in Doha, Qatar without winning a medal.[12] She finished in 5th place.[12]

Achievements
YearCompetitionVenueRankEvent
2012 World Championships Paris, France 3rd Individual kata
2013 World Combat Games Saint Petersburg, Russia 3rd Individual kata
2019 Pan American Games Lima, Peru 1st Individual kata

References
  1. "Olympics: Kokumai is U.S. Karate's Best Hope to Not Leave Empty Handed". Team USA. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  2. "Sakura Kokumai". Team USA. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  3. "Entry List by NOC" (PDF). 2017 World Games. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  4. "Karate Results" (PDF). 2019 Pan American Games. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 2, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  5. "Lima 2019: Ingrid Aranda consigue la medalla de bronce en karate". Agencia Peruana de Noticias (in Spanish). August 9, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  6. "WKF announces first qualified athletes for Tokyo 2020". World Karate Federation. March 18, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  7. Price, Karen (September 1, 2020). "For Sakura Kokumai, Team USA's First Karate Olympian, The Sport Is More About Art Than Aggression". Team USA. Archived from the original on September 2, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  8. "SportAccord World Combat Games 2013". World Karate Federation. November 4, 2013. Archived from the original on June 5, 2019.
  9. "Karate Medalists" (PDF). 2014 Pan American Sports Festival. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 13, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  10. "Karate Results" (PDF). 2017 World Games. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  11. "Results Book" (PDF). 2018 World Karate Championships. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  12. "Karate Results Book" (PDF). 2019 World Beach Games. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 1, 2020. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
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