Sakura Kokumai fell in love with karate at the age of seven, practicing martial arts in both Hawaii and Japan as she grew up immersed in both cultures.
With time, she realized the sport lacked representation and popularity in America and in order to pursue her dreams in karate, Sakura quit her corporate job to focus on training. She was the only woman to represent the USA in karate at the 2020 Olympics and most recently became the first kata athlete to win back-to-back Pan American Game gold medals. As she continues to fight for gold and chase her passion, she hopes to bring more girls and women to the sport of karate. This is her story.
