ISLE FILE
Au, Kotaka capture world karate titles
Advertiser Staff
Hawai'i's Elisa Au and George Kotaka, part of an elite nine-member Team USA squad, won gold medals at the 2002 WKF World Karate Championships that ended yesterday in Madrid, Spain.
Au and Kotaka, who are students at the International Karate Federation, were the only USA athletes to place in the prestigious tournament.
Au, who competed in the 60-kilogram kumite (sparring) division, defeated opponents from Italy, Netherlands, France, Yugoslavia and Hungary in the four-day tournament.
Kotaka, who competed in the 65-kilogram kumite division, beat opponents from Japan, Switzerland, Spain, Italy and Germany.
SURFING
• Rip Curl Cup: Hawai'i surfers Pancho Sullivan and Bruce Irons earned spots in the prestigious Rip Curl Cup after emerging as the top performers during the trials contest yesterday.
The trials were completed in clean wave faces that ranged from 8 to 12 feet at Sunset Beach.
The trials is a day-long event with 32 surfers vying for two open spots in the Rip Curl Cup. The other 45 spots in the main contest are filled by surfers from the World Championship Tour.
The field for the trials featured most of Hawai'i's best big-wave surfers.
Sullivan, who lives in Sunset Beach, won the trials with a two-wave total of 14.6 in the final. Irons placed second with 13.43. There is no prize money awarded to the trials winners.
"I didn't really feel like I found a good rhythm or was surfing to the best of my ability," Sullivan said. "I just kept chipping away and took waves that looked like they might offer up a little barrel section."
Irons posted some of the highest scores in the earlier rounds, and will now join his older brother, Andy Irons, in the Rip Curl Cup. Andy Irons is ranked No. 1 on the World Championship Tour, and could clinch the world title this week.
Among the Hawai'i surfers eliminated yesterday were Brian Pacheco, Mikala Jones, Fred Patacchia Jr., Jason Bogle and Ross Williams.
The Rip Curl Cup will run at Sunset Beach on the best three days between today and Dec. 7. It is the second jewel in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.
For daily status of the contest, call 596-7873 or visit triplecrownofsurfing.com.
RUNNING
• Cross country nationals: Hawai'i Pacific's Nina Christensen and Sayuri Kusutani and Brigham Young-Hawai'i's Chelsea Smith braved rain, snow and 30-degree weather Saturday in the Division II National Cross Country Championships at Ashland University in Ohio.
Christensen finished the 6-kilometer course in 22 minutes, 59.3 seconds to place 36th. Kusutani placed 37th in 23:03.5 and Smith placed 57th in 23:36.
Adam State's Amber Klein won in 20:54.5.
Western State (Colo.) won both the women's and men's titles.
MEETING
• QB Club: University of Hawai'i head football coach June Jones and quarterbacks coach Dan Morrison will be the featured guests at today's meeting of the Honolulu Quarterback Club at the Pagoda Hotel.
UH quarterback Tim Chang will be honored as the male sportsperson for the month.
Lunch — $6.50 for club members, $7 for non-members — begins at 11:30 a.m. and the program at noon.
