I live in Sâo Paulo, Brazil. Sâo Paulo is a very industrial city and has about 18 million inhabitants. I think it is the third biggest city in the world. Many people think about Brazil as a party place with beaches but Sâo Paolo is a working city. It is the most important city of Brazil.
I lived in USA between the age of 7-12 years old.
I work only as a Taekwon-Do instructor but I got my college degree in social communications specializing in radio and television. Now I am trying to get in to get a masters degree in sports psycology.
Well, it was during the Pan American Championships that Master Trān asked me to come with him to a seminar. He later asked me to come to this one so here I am.
At that age I was a martial arts fan, I loved Bruce Lee and martial arts screens. When I got home from school I started to kick and punch in the livingroom and my mom looked up Karate in the yellow pages. And she put me in. In America karate is kind of a general name or martial arts. So she put me up and I ended in a Taekwon-Do school.
Of course. Of couse. What I can't even say because since I have memories I have been practicing Taekwon-Do. It helps my concentration and to deal with various situations that appear in life.
I don't practice all equally. I practice mostly sparring. Since I enjoy sparring very much. And I compete and like to compete. A few years back I started to enjoy patterns a lot more. I do give importance to pattern but my main event is sparring.
Oh, the secret behind my success... I don't think there is any secret. I dedicate myself to what I do. I train everyday, I train a lot. I take what I do seriously. And I think maybe it is my self critisism. I'm never satisfied with what I've got and I always try to do things better. And that is very important to a fighter, to keep growing and not to keep were you are. To always keep adapting like a fighter who has always been my idol, Paul Germain from Canada. He won he World Championships in 1984 and then he went all the way to the final in 1997. I think that is remarkable to be fighting in the top level for 13 years. You only do that by growing and trying to get better all the time.
I think so. I like to continue as teacher. I like to get a coaching position. I know how to train and I think I have a good tactical vision of fighting.
Yes, you have to make sacrifices to compete at top level. It is a different life from everyone who goes out at night everyday from monday to monday. But I think that the more sacrifices you make the stronger you are and you achievment will be more valuable.
My friends have not changed. I am even more recognized for what I've accomplished in Taekwon-Do when I go outside Brazil than in Brazil. For my close friends there are no problems. I've had them for a long time and they are the same people.
Which of all your achivements in TKD is most important to you and why?That is very difficult to say. Most important, I think that is impossible. I mean the three times I won the World Championships they were three very special occations. My first one when I fought against Paul Germain in the final it was amazing. It was magical. The second time was also great because I was more confident and I was more aware of what I was doing. I was a better fighter so I was astablishing myself. In Italy it was also great. I felt very good and fast. I felt good as a fighter so all 3 were great occations so I really can't say which was the greatest.
I am optimisting towards the future. I think ITF has a lot to grow and has a lot to do. Taekwon-Do is a great thing and people should know about it and I think that is a mission for the ITF.
I have talked a lot with many people and Master Trān about something that I think could make ITF TKD bigger. It is to make a professional top-competition with all the top-fighters in the world with money prizes and television distribution. This should be a competition good for everybody to see. Sometimes the World Championships can be tiring to watch. If you have a top-competition, as they have the K1 in Japan, I think more people would come to ITF TKD competitions. There should also be specatcular exhibitions with patterns, power breaking and special techniques.
For Taekwon-Do the selections for the World Championships are coming in november so I'm training for that. And just to keep on training and we'll see. I will prepare myself for the next year.
And my personal life. Well, I just left home and I live together with two roommates, a black belt from my school and a friend of mine way back since we were children. I hope to keep paying my bills and make some more money to make life easier because I'm kind of starting on by my own now.
- food?
Well, I think my favourite food is probably chocolate. I love choclate. So for me to get on a diet before big championships is really nervewrecking.
- film?
I love movies. I watch everything that's woth watching. I can't really say a favourite film. I like very much "The Untouchables" and "Blade Runner". I like to study the scripts and how they do it. The americans have a great notion how to make interesting films. I like Woody Allen, Ridley Scott and Martin Scorcese.
- music?
Oh, I love music too. My whole family are mucisians. My mother has a doctor degree in pipe organ and she teaches in the state university in Sâo Paulo. My uncle was an international orchestra conductor and my other oncle is a very famous choir conductor in Sâo Paulo. So I was raised with music and I love it. From rock I like very much Van Halen, Bad Religion, Living Colour, Aerosmith and sometimes Guns N'Roses. I like pop music such as Lionel Ritchie, James Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Sade and Bob Marley. And of course classical music. Bach and Haendel. Who doesn't like Beetoven?