W.A.K.O. European Championships 1979
Encyclopedia
W.A.K.O. European Championships 1979 was the third European kickboxing
championships hosted by the W.A.K.O.
organization, organized by the Italian
Ennio Falsoni. As with previous European championships the 1979 W.A.K.O. championships were open to amateur
men based in Europe
only, with each country allowed more than one competitor in an individual weight category. Two styles of kickboxing were on offer – Full-Contact and Semi-Contact. By the championships end West Germany
was yet again the strongest nation, with Yugoslavia
in second place, and hosts Italy
in third - more detail on the winners and medal tables can be found in the sections below. The event was held in 1979 in Milan, Italy.
to over 84 kg/+184.8 lbs
, with all bouts fought under Full-Contact
rules. More detail on Full-Contact's rules-set can be found at the W.A.K.O. website, although be aware that the rules have changed since 1979. The medal winners of each division are shown below with Peter Harbrecht winning yet another gold and future K-1
world champion Branko Cikatić
winning his first major title. Also of interest were Jerome and Jonny Canabate who had won medals at previous W.A.K.O. championships representing Switzerland
, but were now picking up medals for the host nation Italy
. At the end of the championships West Germany
were the strongest nation in the Full-Contact category winning four gold, one silver and one bronze medal.
to over 84 kg/+184.8 lbs
. The medal winners of each division are shown below with West Germany
again being the strongest nation with five gold medals and two silvers won in Semi-Contact by the end of the championships.
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
championships hosted by the W.A.K.O.
World Association of Kickboxing Organizations
The World Association of Kickboxing Organisations is one the international organization of kickboxing, and the governing body of Amateur kickboxing sport certified by SportAccord...
organization, organized by the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Ennio Falsoni. As with previous European championships the 1979 W.A.K.O. championships were open to amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
men based in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
only, with each country allowed more than one competitor in an individual weight category. Two styles of kickboxing were on offer – Full-Contact and Semi-Contact. By the championships end West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
was yet again the strongest nation, with Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
in second place, and hosts Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in third - more detail on the winners and medal tables can be found in the sections below. The event was held in 1979 in Milan, Italy.
Men's Full-Contact Kickboxing
At Milan the men's Full-Contact kickboxing category had seven weight divisions ranging from 57 kg/125.4 lbsPound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
to over 84 kg/+184.8 lbs
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
, with all bouts fought under Full-Contact
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
rules. More detail on Full-Contact's rules-set can be found at the W.A.K.O. website, although be aware that the rules have changed since 1979. The medal winners of each division are shown below with Peter Harbrecht winning yet another gold and future K-1
K-1
K-1 is a defunct world-wide kickboxing promotion based in Tokyo, Japan founded by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a formerKyokushin karate practitioner. K-1 combines stand up techniques from Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, Savate, San Shou, kickboxing, western-style boxing, and other martial arts...
world champion Branko Cikatić
Branko Cikatic
Branko "The Croatian Tiger" Cikatić is a Croatian former heavyweight kickboxer, the first Croatian born fighter to achieve international success...
winning his first major title. Also of interest were Jerome and Jonny Canabate who had won medals at previous W.A.K.O. championships representing Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, but were now picking up medals for the host nation Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. At the end of the championships West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
were the strongest nation in the Full-Contact category winning four gold, one silver and one bronze medal.
Men's Full-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table
| -57 kg | Jerome Canabate  |
Boffa  |
Jonny Canabate |
| -63 kg | Klaus Friedhaber  |
Jimmie Barletta  |
Jorg Leuk-Emden |
| -69 kg | Ferdinand Mack |
Kemal Zeriat  |
Colapietro |
| -74 kg | Peter Harbrecht |
Erling Havnå Erling Havnå Erling Mathias Havnå of Arendal, Norway, is a former kickboxer. He won a silver medal in full-contact at the W.A.K.O. European Championships 1979, and stepped up to be the European Champion in 1980. Eleven years later, in 1991, he won the silver medal in the World Championship...  |
A. Tommei |
| -79 kg | Branko Cikatić Branko Cikatic Branko "The Croatian Tiger" Cikatić is a Croatian former heavyweight kickboxer, the first Croatian born fighter to achieve international success...  |
Jean-Marc Tonus |
Roufs  |
| -84 kg | Branko Zgaljardic |
Flavio Galessi |
Nils Hovelsrud |
| +84 kg | Tom Rissman |
Manfred Vogt |
Maurizio Rigo |
Men's Semi-Contact Kickboxing
Absent from the 1978 world championship, Semi-Contact returned to the Milan European championships. Unlike Full-Contact where fighters could be knocked out, Semi-Contact relied on contestants to outscore the other using skill, speed and technique to score points rather than by using excessive force - more detail on Semi-Contact can be found on the W.A.K.O. website, although the rules will have changed somewhat since 1979. As with Full-Contact there were seven weight divisions ranging from 57 kg/125.4 lbsPound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
to over 84 kg/+184.8 lbs
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
. The medal winners of each division are shown below with West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
again being the strongest nation with five gold medals and two silvers won in Semi-Contact by the end of the championships.
Men's Semi-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table
| -57 kg | Sarhan Salman |
Christian Wulf |
Manfred Frohwein  |
| -63 kg | Dennis Wooter |
Goyvaerts |
Antonio Loser |
| -69 kg | Jochen Klapproth |
Andreas Brannasch |
Maurizio Ronchiato |
| -74 kg | Jurgen Gorak |
Slobodon Sokota |
Wilson |
| -79 kg | H. Hirschganger |
Ivan Wray | Norbert Schochl |
| -84 kg | Harald Edel |
Maurizio Facchinetti |
Walter Meneghini |
| +84 kg | Ray McKenzie | Srienz |
Ulrich Falck |
Overall Medals Standing (Top 5)
| Ranking | Country | Gold  |
Silver  |
Bronze  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Germany West Germany West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990.... |
9 | 3 | 1 |
| 2 | Yugoslavia Yugoslavia Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century.... |
2 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
1 | 2 | 4 |
| 4 | Great Britain Great Britain Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles... |
1 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
1 | 0 | 0 |
See also
- List of WAKO Amateur European Championships
- List of WAKO Amateur World Championships
- List of male kickboxers
- List of kickboxing organizations