Sakura Kokumai

Olympian 2020

World Bronze Medalist 2019 Pan American Games Gold Medalist 7x Senior Pan American Champion

Athlete Bio#

Height

149cm

Age

Hometown

Los Angeles, CA

Education

Doshisha Univ, Waseda Univ.

Personal

I started karate at the age of 7 in Honolulu, Hawaii....I made the U.S. Junior National Team when I was 14 and have been representing the country ever since. ...When I was younger, I just loved being around people in the dojo and loved traveling to international events with my teammates....As I got older, I started to set bigger goals for myself as an athlete and fell in love with the sport all over again....To pursue my Olympic dream, I moved to California to stay with a host family, so I could be a full time athlete....I became the first American to qualify for the Olympics and also the only female athlete that represented Karate from the US at the 2020 Toyko Olympics.

Career Highlights

8x USA National Champion (Senior)
4x Junior Pan American Champion
4x USA National Champion (Junior)

More #

Advice to younger athletes: Never never NEVER give up. There will be times where you just want to give up, but hard work always pays off. Just stay focused, surround yourself with good people and the result will naturally come to you.