Profiles

It’s a story often told by retired athletes: the camaraderie of a team and the excitement of competing before a roaring crowd make the lure of competition hard to fight. As a result, we often see great athletes come out of retirement with varied levels of success but often as shadows of their former selves. Kahlia Smith is a rare exception, having returned to competition after a six-year hiatus to produce a series of stellar performances, culminating in her capture of the 2014 National All Styles Champion of Champions title. Blitz spoke to Kahlia about her return to competition and what’s next for the comeback queen.

View Kahlia Smith's profile

It’s often the perception in life that bigger is better, but it’s not always the case that bigger creates better. While some martial artists want to train at the biggest gyms in the country, some of the best athletes around can be found training in some of the smallest schools. Sensei Ettore Senatore, his son Delio and close friend Khai Tran run Seishin-Ryu Karate-do Australia, a small school in Queensland that packs a big punch. Their dominance on the NAS tournament circuit over the past few years brings an old saying to mind — ‘It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.’

View Khai Tran's profile

Throughout the history of competition, the bitter taste of defeat has proven too much for many an athlete to swallow. After three consecutive runners-up finishes in the annual National All Styles Champion of Champions finals, you could forgive Queensland’s Nicki Kennedy for thinking it perhaps wasn’t meant to be. Unperturbed, Kennedy decided to once again test her skills against Australia’s top martial artists at NAS in 2013 and finally broke through to claim the open-weight title she had long pursued — not to say that she wasn’t already a winner, having already bagged a whopping six consecutive NAS Black-belt middleweight titles.

View Nicki Kennedy's profile

At the end of every year, Black-belt martial artists from across the country duke it out on the battleground known as the National All Styles Australian Championships, vying for the coveted title of NAS Champion of Champions — aka the best open-weight point-fighter Down Under. The men’s contest had been dominated by talented Queenslander Delio Senatore for the previous two years, but in 2013 the reigning champ was outdone by training partner Khai Tran, who made it a hat trick for their club, Seishin Ryu Karate. Now looking to make it four in a row in 2014, Tran recently chatted to Blitz about his inspirations, his training methods and the secret behind Sensei Ettore Senatore’s knack for producing top sport-karate fighters.

View Khai Tran's profile

Year in, year out, the National All Styles Championship manages to attract the country's top martial artists and unites them through exhilarating competition with participants gunning for the prestigious title of Champion of Champions. The 2012 championship served up a slew of electrifying contests featuring some fresh, up-and-coming talent as well as some familiar faces. At the end of the weekend, Delio Senatore of Seishin-Ryu Karate-Do solidified his billing as one of NAS' all-time greatest fighters, lifting the Champion of Champion's trophy for the second year running. Fighting just as hard as her male counterparts, NAS rookie Natasha Gaspersz of Go-Kan-Ryu karate emphatically announced herself to the competition by taking the female title. Blitz caught up with the two champions to talk about their wins, training and what it takes to be the best of the best.

View Natasha Gaspersz's profile

Year in, year out, the National All Styles Championship manages to attract the country's top martial artists and unites them through exhilarating competition with participants gunning for the prestigious title of Champion of Champions. The 2012 championship served up a slew of electrifying contests featuring some fresh, up-and-coming talent as well as some familiar faces. At the end of the weekend, Delio Senatore of Seishin-Ryu Karate-Do solidified his billing as one of NAS' all-time greatest fighters, lifting the Champion of Champion's trophy for the second year running. Fighting just as hard as her male counterparts, NAS rookie Natasha Gaspersz of Go-Kan-Ryu karate emphatically announced herself to the competition by taking the female title. Blitz caught up with the two champions to talk about their wins, training and what it takes to be the best of the best.

View Delio Senatore's profile

As Australians, we've always had great admiration for the 'battler', the competitor who doesn't have it easy right from the start, the one who has the biggest hurdle to clear. We celebrate courage, persistence, and a never-say-die attitude above all else. It's no wonder that a lot of spectators left the recent National All Styles Australian Championships feeling inspired, for this time around the Champion of Champions titles were taken, in both the male and female divisions, by competitors who narrowly missed out on victory the year before. Blitz spoke to karate aces Sherry Bower and Delio Senatore to get an insight into their winning ways.

View Sherry Bower's profile

As Australians, we've always had great admiration for the 'battler', the competitor who doesn't have it easy right from the start, the one who has the biggest hurdle to clear. We celebrate courage, persistence, and a never-say-die attitude above all else. It's no wonder that a lot of spectators left the recent National All Styles Australian Championships feeling inspired, for this time around the Champion of Champions titles were taken, in both the male and female divisions, by competitors who narrowly missed out on victory the year before. Blitz spoke to karate aces Sherry Bower and Delio Senatore to get an insight into their winning ways.

View Delio Senatore's profile

Pride swelled in the heart of 20-year-old Amber Wilson as she emerged victorious after her eighth and final bout at the recent National All Styles Championships held late last year. Climbing onto the winner's podium she felt a mixture of exhaustion and elation, and was reminded once again why she loves competitive karate so much. Blitz caught up with her to find out how she became a champion.

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Nine years ago, Dean Gould found himself torn between the rugby field and the karate dojo. Somewhere between diligently practising his kata and fiercely battling the rugby scrum, Dean realised he didn't have the time to commit himself fully to both activities and that he had to make a choice. Three months ago his decision to choose karate was rewarded in the form of a shiny trophy and belt to signify his new title of National All Styles Champion of Champions.

View Dean Gould's profile