W.A.K.O. World Championships 1993 (Atlantic City)

Semi-Contact is a form of kickboxing in which fights were won by points given due to technique, skill and speed, with physical force limited - more information on Semi-Contact can be found on the W.A.K.O. website, although the rules will have changed since 1993.[3] The men had eight weight divisions ranging from 57 kg/125.4 lbs to over 89 kg/+195.8 lbs, with the under/over 89 kg divisions being newly introduced. The women's competition also expanded, now having five divisions, ranging from 50 kg/110 lbs to over 65 kg/143 lbs. As with the last world championships in London, Christine Bannon-Rodrigues was the most notable winner as she repeated her three gold medal feat - winning in Semi-Contact as well in Musical Forms (x2), while Lajos Hugyetz would win two golds (winning in Light-Contact as well), and karate fighter Tony Young was a further notable winner. By the end of the championships the strongest country in Semi-Contact was the host nation USA with four golds, two silvers and six bronzes.[4]

Men's Semi-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
-57 kg	Oliver Drexler	Bruno Manca	Lantos Gyla Bernd Duffy
-63 kg	Tony Young	Maurizio Cuccu	Martin Kilgus Hardus Laurens
-69 kg	Pedro Xavier	Mike Conroy	Billy Bryce István Tóth
-74 kg	Lajos Hugyetz	Emanuele Bozzolani	Franjo Zobic Chris Rappold
-79 kg	Ralf Kunzler	Stefan Martin	Markus Zadra Peter Edwards
-84 kg	Alfie Lewis	Zoltan Szucs	Jerry Fontanez Volpato Diego
-89 kg	Emanuel Bettencourt	Barnabas Katona	Steve Babcock Maik Böttcher
+89 kg	Alvin Mighty	Ali Özkan	Richard Plowden Volpato Diego

Women's Semi-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
-50 kg	Lori Lantrip-Stanley	Amanda Quansah	Tiziana Favaro Rita Pesuth
-55 kg	Christine Bannon-Rodrigues	Miriam Diller	Ann-May Viksund Nancy Morneau
-60 kg	Kierston Sims	Christina Senigalia	Carla Ribeiro Manon Desrochers
-65 kg	Dawn Roffey	Michelle Arango	Tunde Kocsis Eunice Huthard
+65 kg	Tiziana Zennaro	Carylanne Lamb	Nicola Corbett Sue Brazelton

More physical than Semi-Contact but less so than Full-Contact, points were awarded and fights won on the basis of speed and technique over power, and it was seen as a transition stage for fighters who were considering a move from Semi to Full-Contact. More information on Light-Contact rules can be found of the W.A.K.O. website, although be aware that the rules may have changed since 1993.[5] As with Semi-Contact, the men and women had new weight divisions, with the men having eight ranging from 57 kg/125.4 lbs to over 89 kg/+195.8 lbs, and the women five, ranging from 50 kg/110 lbs to over 65 kg/143 lbs. Notable winners included Lajos Hugyetz (who also won gold in Semi-Contact) and future pro boxing champion Pelé Reid, who added to the gold he had won at the last W.A.K.O. Europeans. By the end of the championships Hungary was by far the most successful nation in Light-Contact, winning six golds, one silver and one bronze medal.[6]

Men's Light-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
-57 kg	Lantos Gyula	Piotr Siegoczynski	Spanu Gianpaolo Gabriel Damm
-63 kg	Jorge Coelho	Chad Barron	Joachim Wage-Mons Silvano Cosentino
-69 kg	István Tóth	Sergei Kirpjakov	Piotr Bartnicki Ottavio Panunzio
-74 kg	Lajos Hugyetz	Michael Wübke	Haci Avcioglu Dimitri Smirnov
-79 kg	Herman Muhlheim	Bernd Reichenbach	Piotr Panczuk Ali Chehadeh
-84 kg	Zoltan Szucs	Stefan Dietrich	Martin Cantin Bartolomeo Bonvino
-89 kg	Jean-Marc Koumba	Victor Chicko	Abundio Munoz Nuno Souto
+89 kg	Pelé Reid	William Eaves	Mladen Paylin Sascha Beganovic

Women's Light-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
-50 kg	Rita Pesuth	Giovanna Neglia	Shelly Taylor Amanda Quansah
-55 kg	Iwona Buzowska	Lorraine Cotter	Marianna Hegyi Ann-May Viksund
-60 kg	Gaby Bada	Karoline Sutter	Ulrike Wörz Linda Dice
-65 kg	Birgid Sasse	Tunde Kocsis	Justina Hall Marta Kickner
+65 kg	Christina Cerpi	Lisa Crosby	Doris Aboagye Claudia Schregele

Musical Forms is a non-physical competition which sees the contestants fighting against imaginary foes using Martial Arts techniques - more information can be accessed on the W.A.K.O. website, although be aware that the rules may have changed since 1993.[7] The men and women were allowed to participate in four different styles explained below:

• Hard Styles – coming from Karate and Taekwondo.
• Soft Styles – coming from Kung Fu and Wu-Shu.
• Hard Styles with Weapons – using weapons such as Kama, Sai, Tonfa, Nunchaku, Bō, Katana.
• Soft Styles with Weapons - using weapons such as Naginata, Nunchaku, Tai Chi Chuan Sword, Whip Chain.

The most notable winner was Christine Bannon-Rodrigues who claimed two gold medals in Soft Styles and Soft Styles with Weapons to add to the gold she won in Semi-Contact to equal the record she had set at the last W.A.K.O. world championships of three gold medals in a single event. By the end of the championships the host nation USA were the top nation in Musical Forms, winning four golds and three silvers.[8]

Men's Musical Forms Medals Table

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Hard Styles	Dominic Adam	Gabe Reynaga	Pedro Xavier
Soft Styles	Richard Brandon	Earl Blijd	Emanuel Bettencourt
Hard Styles with Weapons	Alan Belisle	Werner Stark	Pedro Xavier
Soft Styles with Weapons	Richard Brandon	Sylvester Engelhart	Anthony Spatola

Women's Musical Forms Medals Table

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Hard Styles	Patricia Lamoureux	Stacy Knight	Karoline Sutter
Soft Styles	Christine Bannon-Rodrigues	Natali Bordijan	Tatjana Anjenko
Hard Styles with Weapons	Manon Desrochers	Michelle Arrango	No bronze medallist recorded
Soft Styles with Weapons	Christine Bannon-Rodrigues	Natali Bordijan	Tatjana Anjenko

• List of WAKO Amateur World Championships
• List of WAKO Amateur European Championships

• WAKO World Association of Kickboxing Organizations Official Site