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Holy salkow, Batman, Miki’s back! Yes, Japan’s very own Babe on Ice, Miki Ando, roared back to form in the opening event of the Grand Prix figure skating series, not only winning October’s Skate America competition in Connecticut, but overshadowing younger teen star Mao Asada, everybody’s current tip for greatness. Ando, of course, was panned after finishing a disappointing 15th at the Turin Olympics, but she’s lost a bit of chunkiness and taken her skating to a higher level; maybe now she will start to fulfill her promise. Next up on the calendar is the NHK Trophy from November 30 to December 3 in Nagano. Japan’s women skaters are hot right now. Catch them while you can. FV See sports listings for details.
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By
Fred Varcoe
K-1's Final KO
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| Jerome LeBanner |
If you think the Yomiuri Giants hold the attendance record
for the Tokyo Dome, think again. They don't even come
close. That honor goes, believe it or not, to K-1, which has
attracted up to 72,000 fans for a single event (the Giants
claim that 55,000 attend their games). The K-1 2002 World
Grand Prix Final at the Dome on December 7 sold out in hours
and, once again, will match the record attendance figure.
K-1 is big in Japan, in case you weren't already aware
of the fact.
“K-1's biggest following is in Japan, followed by
Europe,” Monty Dipietro, K-1's international spokesman,
informs me. Perhaps that's not so surprising, as K-1
was started here in Japan. Kazuyoshi Ishii, who was head of
the Seido Kaikan karate school, realized that the various
karate disciplines all held separate championships for their
respective styles but there was no forum that brought all
of them together in one competition. While the purists in
the martial arts world were probably happy to keep things
this way, Ishii had a different vision and wanted to bring
a number of different martial arts styles together as one
discipline in one tournament. That vision would extend to,
among others, karate, kung-fu and Thai-style kickboxing. K-1
is roughly an amalgam of boxing and Muay Thai, with strict
rules as to what is and isn't allowable. Kicking with
the feet and knees is OK, and hitting with the fists, of course,
but elbows are out, as are throwing and grappling.
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| Bob Sapp |
Ishii held the first championship in 1993 and this year marks
the 10th event of a sport that has simply exploded in Japan.
“It's amazing how it took off, especially during
a weak economy,” Dipietro notes, adding that although
the sport is most popular in Japan, most of the fighters are
from Europe. These included Andy Hug, who epitomized the sport
until his untimely death from leukemia two years ago at age
35. “He was skilled and dedicated and a gentleman and
believed in the qualities K-1 encouraged: respect, honor and
dedication,” Dipietro recalls. “The fans fell in
love with him and everyone in K-1 loved him, so it was so
sad that he passed away.” Hug won the championship in
1994 and died on August 24, 2000, stunning his many fans in
Japan.
The Grand Prix Final will feature four Europeans, two New
Zealanders, an American and a Japanese in a straight knockout
competition. The draw for the Final came up with the following
pairings: Ray Sefo (New Zealand) vs. Peter Aerts (Netherlands);
Bob Sapp (United States) vs. Semmy Schilt (Netherlands); Stefan
Leko (Germany) vs. Mark Hunt (New Zealand); and Jerome LeBanner
(France) vs. Musashi (Japan).
The surprise of the season has been former NFL offensive guard
Sapp, who has used his astonishing 171kg frame to force his
way into the Final, ousting favorite Ernesto Hoost in the
qualifiers at Saitama Stadium in October.
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The
K-1 Girls
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“Sapp came out of nowhere,” Dipietro admits. “He
only started fighting this year and is the biggest K-1 fighter
out there. He's twice the weight of some of the other fighters.
But he's earned his place there and he's been working closely
with K-1 veteran Maurice Smith.” Sapp has been touted
in some circles as the Konishiki of the K-1 world, and like
his sumo counterpart he's been getting a fair amount of attention
from Japanese TV stations.
“I think some of the fans think the same way that sumo
fans thought when Konishiki first came along,” Dipietro
concurs, adding that Sapp's success has been a boost for the
sport in North America. “There's never been a strong
American fighter, perhaps because American athletes like Sapp
have a lot of opportunities to make money in other sports,
while there is less interest in martial arts such as kickboxing.
In Europe, on the other hand, there's a strong interest in
martial arts, but America is catching up as new opportunities
open up.”
Sapp will be up against tough competition in his first match,
as he faces Ernesto Hoost. “Sapp is the wild card who
most people didn't expect to get to the final, and now he's
the guy who they want to stop,” Dipietro explains. “But
the favorite is probably Le Banner, who is really strong but
hasn't won the final yet. Peter Aerts along with Ernesto Hoost,
have won the final three times and one of them could be the
first four-time winner ever.”
If you haven't got a ticket, you can catch the action on Fuji
TV.
Photos courtesy of K-1
For inquires contact Fred
Varcoe at fred@metropolis.co.jp
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