Minnesota Fighters Earn Places on Team USA Kickboxing
The Cellar Gym brought three kickboxers — Samuel Bailey, Javier Huerta, and Katie Locken — to compete at the WAKO National Championships on May 4-7 in Nashville, Tennessee. Both Sam and Javier took gold in their divisions; Sam also earned a spot on Team USA to compete in the WAKO World Championships this November in Portugal, and Javier earned a spot as first alternate.
In addition to our fighters’ victories this past weekend, three more Minnesota athletes — Loca Her, Joshua Lee, and Mason Strodtman of St. Paul’s Warman Muay Thai — also joined Team USA after dominant performances.
Sam Bailey
Sam started our weekend in Nashville off right with a KO win in the second round. In the semifinals, he had another dominant performance with a calculated and extremely intelligent fight. Sam had another decisive victory in the finals to win gold in the men’s 67kg K-1 division and secure his spot on Team USA.
Javier Huerta
Javier won his first fight by showcasing his powerful boxing and finished the fight in the second round with a referee stoppage. In the finals, Javier once again used superior boxing, low kicks, and movement to win the men’s 63.5 kg division!
Katie Locken
Katie lost by split decision. She ended up losing by 1 point in the last exchange of the fight, although we had it going the other way. Lesson learned but a great fight by both fighters. Overall, Katie looked great, listened well and showed great power. Not to mention this was Katie’s first fight back in the ring after 6 years, 3 kids and a major surgery, we are all so proud of her!
Leave a Comment