London Docklands Kyokushinkai Karate Club

Maria Da Costa (4th Dan)

An insight into the BKK's highest graded woman karateka

Interview and report Liam Keaveney

Without any doubt Maria Da Costa has consistently displayed her ability in all avenues of Kyokushin karate - not least one of her most revent achievements was to be the first woman in the BKK to be graded to 4th dan in 2000. She is an instructor of first class ability and has a single minded and determined attitude, which crosses the boundaries into her official capacity with the BKK as it's Treasurer. In terms of a tournament career Maria's success has spanned a decade picking up most titles in all disciplines. In 1990 she was part of the successful British Karate Kyokushinkai European Clicker team that gained first place in Liechtenstein and in the same year was placed first in both the Swiss Open Clicker Tournament and the British Karate Kyokushinkai Clicker Tournament. She gained 3rd place in the British Karate Kyokushinkai Clicker tournament in 1991 and second place in the following year. She also won 1st place in the British karate Kyokushinkai WUKO Tournament in 1993.

With the introduction of women's knockdown in the British Karate Kyokushinkai she won 1st place in the BKK's first tournament and in the same year successfully completed her 30 man kumite test and went on to win the Belgian Open Kncokdown Tournament. From 1993 she went from strength to strength devoting her efforts to knockdown winning the BKK's National Knockdown Tournament and the Regional Knockdown Tournament in 1994. In 1996 she won the BKK's Regional Knockdown in Harlow, was placed 2nd in the Spanish Open and won 1st place in the BKK's National Tournament at Crystal Palace (and was awarded the Spirited Fighter Trophy). The following year saw the International Federation of Karate's first World Tournament in Moscow and she represented the BKK - gaining a 3rd place and in the same year was placed 2nd. In her last year of knockdown competition she fought and won the Spanish Open and went on to win the BKK's National Tournament.

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