# W.A.K.O. World Championships 1991

W.A.K.O. World Championships 1991 were the eight world kickboxing championships hosted by the W.A.K.O. organization. It was the third world championships to be held in London, involving amateur men and women from twenty-eight countries across the world. There were three styles on offer; Semi-Contact, Light-Contact and Musical Forms, and for the first time since Milan 1981, there would be no Full-Contact kickboxing competition at a W.A.K.O. world championships. Each country was allowed one competitor per weight division per category, although participants were allowed to participate in more than one category.
By the end of the championships the USA were the top nation, just about pushing hosts Great Britain into second by virtue of their performance in Musical Forms, with Hungary in third. There was also a little bit of history made in London with the American Christine Bannon-Rodrigues being the first person to win three golds at a single championships, winning gold medals in Semi-Contact and Musical Forms (x2). The event was held in London over two days at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in London, England, UK, starting on Saturday 12 October and finishing on Sunday 13 October 1991.

## Semi-Contact

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 1991. The men had seven weight classes, starting at 57 kg/125.4 lbs and ending at over 84 kg/+184.8 lbs, while the women's competition had three weight classes beginning at 50 kg/110 lbs and ending at 60 kg/132 lbs. The most notable winner was Christine Bannon-Rodrigues who would also win two more golds in Musical Forms. By the end of the championships the hosts Great Britain were the strongest nation in Semi-Contact, winning three golds, three silvers and three bronzes across the male and female competitions.

### Men's Semi-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table

| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| -57 kg | Cucci | Preece | Marc Beaudry Piotr Siegoczynski |
| -63 kg | Martin Kilgus | Joe Tierney | Giersthoven Peter Gilpin |
| -69 kg | Pedro Xavier | Yves Lalonde | Thomas Pfaffl Billy Bryce |
| -74 kg | Sergio Portaro | Christopher Rappold | Lajos Hugyetz Stefan Martin |
| -79 kg | Peter Edwards | Delaporte | Jim Flood Richard Barefield |
| -84 kg | Alfie Lewis | Bettini | Emanuel Bettencourt Zoltan Szucs |
| +84 kg | Andrew Boyce | Cruz | Barnabas Katona Valentini |

### Women's Semi-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table

| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| -50 kg | Karin Schiller | Szepessi | Amanda Quansah Derita |
| -55 kg | Christine Bannon-Rodrigues | Hugyetz | Deyta Manon Desrochers |
| -60 kg | Carla Ribeiro | Stiegler | Mirai Lawson |

## Light-Contact

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 1991. For the first time ever at a W.A.K.O. world championships, both men and women were allowed to take part in Light-Contact, with the men having seven weight classes, starting at 57 kg/125.4 lbs and ending at over 84 kg/+184.8 lbs and the women's having four weight classes beginning at 50 kg/110 lbs and ending at over 60 kg/+132 lbs. The most notable medallist was Jeff Roufus who although he only gained a bronze would later having future success as a multiple pro world champion. By the end of the event, hosts Great Britain were the strongest country in Light-Contact winning four golds, one silver and two bronze medals.

### Men's Light-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table

| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| -57 kg | Lantos | Jakob Jurgen | Shawn Wheat Ind |
| -63 kg | Ivanov | Charles Barron | Alan Johnson Peter Gilpin |
| -69 kg | Evelyn Dwyer | David Wilson | Carvalho Drazdynski |
| -74 kg | Lajos Hugyetz | Michael Wübke | Alberto Montrond Dushkin |
| -79 kg | George McKenzie | Jim Flood | Bernd Reichenbach Csaszar |
| -84 kg | Wilkinson | Zoltan Szucs | Donet Adamson |
| +84 kg | Barnabas Katona | Morozow | Alan Reid Jeff Roufus |

### Women's Light-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table

| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| -50 kg | K. Leclerc | Szepessi | Christine Damm Neglia |
| -55 kg | Stefania Proietti | A. Joswig | Kathy Carchia Carson |
| -60 kg | Agnieszka Rylik | Gabriella Bady | Justina Hall Gilpin |
| +60 kg | Bailey | Lisa Crosby | Sasse Tunde Kocsis |

## Forms

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 1991. For the first time ever, women were officially recognised in Musical Forms at a world championships, with the men having four styles and the women three. An explanation of the various styles is provided below:
* Hard Styles – coming from Karate and Taekwondo.
* Soft Styles – coming from Kung Fu and Wu-Sha.
* Hard Styles with Weapons – using weapons such as Kama, Sai, Tonfa, Nunchaku, Bo, Katana.
* Soft Styles with Weapons - Naginata, Nunchaku, Tai Chi Chuan Sword, Whip Chain.
Women were also allowed to use weapons but it was one separate category. The most notable winner was Christine Bannon-Rodrigues who claimed two gold medals in Soft Styles and Weapons to add to the gold she won in Semi-Contact to make history as the first person to win three golds at a single W.A.K.O. championships. The strongest nation in Musical Forms was the USA with five golds and two silver medals.

### Men's Musical Forms Medals Table

| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Soft Styles | Benjamin Jugwels | Richard Brandon | Sforza |
| Hard Styles | Jean Frenette | David Collins | Werner Stark Lino Guarnaccia |
| Hard Styles with Weapons | Tony Orr | Jean Frenette | Baba-Milis Ghorbani |
| Soft Styles with Weapons | Richard Brandon | Sylvester Engelhart | Mario Eismann Sporka |

### Women's Musical Forms Medals Table

| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Hard Styles | Patricia Lamoureux | Ann Gregory | Caroline Suter Alo |
| Soft Styles | Christine Bannon-Rodrigues | Sherida Pattiwaellapia | Austin Anzhenko |
| Weapons | Christine Bannon-Rodrigues | Manon Desrochers | Anzhenko Austin |

## Overall Medals Standing (Top 5)

| Ranking | Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 1 | USA | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| 2 | Great Britain | 7 | 4 | 7 |
| 3 | Hungary | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| 4 | Italy | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | Canada | 2 | 4 | 6 |