Meet the amazing 30 year old Lithuanian World Champion in Kyokushin Karate,
Aneta Meskauskiene, mother of two and wife with a full time job at Accenture
At present, I am 30 years old, a mother of 2 amazing boys, a full time employee with Accenture (which are also actively sponsoring me) – working on Google projects, a wife, and a student. Keeping up with my busy lifestyle is not easy… but it is very rewarding! I set clear priorities and there is simply no time for feeling blue or for indeed for any wistful sense of nostalgia.
I had the privilege of doing a training session with Aneta to get an insight into her sport and see the champion herself in action. I was so impressed with her skills, her focus and determination. She definitely has the traits of a champion.
She has been involved in Kyokushin Karate for several years now and has represented Ireland in many international competitions. Her best results to date are: 2nd place in the World Championship in Sofia, Bulgaria and 3rd place in the recent World Championship in Khabarovsk, Russia.
She started Kyokushin Karate in 1993 when she was only 7 years old. With an historical background Aneta discovered karate after her parents moved from Russia to Lithuania which at the time had only gained its independence from Russia. It was a tough time and the country was offering very few opportunities. Her parents decided to enroll her in the local karate club to boost her self-confidence, and also to help her learn Lithuanian. They thought it would be a great way to make new friends.
[bctt tweet=”She started Kyokushin Karate in 1993 when she was only 7 years old” username=”kwunion”]
Soon after, she started to compete in Lithuanian national competitions. Her former coach Gintaras Cemnalianskis told her she had rare potential and a promising future.
When turning 14-15 there were issues in her personal life to deal with including arguments with parents and coaches. She then took the decision to walk away from her beloved sport.
“During adolescence…lots of things (including my sport) had to go by the wayside. Numerous arguments and heated debates later (with my parents, my coach, and indeed myself!) I finally decided that the sport was no longer a priority for me…so I stopped.”
She made the best of those 10 years away from Karate and didn’t waste anytime.
“I finished school, started college, moved to Ireland, met my future husband, finished my Bachelor Degree in Law, started my Masters in Financial Markets, and had 2 wonderful children. Yet, despite all my achievements I still felt deep down that something was missing throughout all that time. So straight after giving birth to my second child while being on maternity leave, I decided that I needed to get back into shape, karate being the obvious choice. I couldn’t actually imagine getting involved in any other sport other than karate. So I set out to find another local club in my husband’s hometown of Anyksciai (as I spent my maternity leave in Lithuania) and here my story resumed.”
As you can imagine it was tough both mentally and physically to get back in the game. I personally suffer after 2 weeks break from weight training so I can only relate to what Aneta has gone through.
When she tried to reach out to her former sport buddies she found out that they had either become coaches, teachers or had stopped practicing years ago like herself. Thanks to the support from her new coach Eugenijus Silaika and by literally taking one step at a time she managed to achieve her brown belt and to strive for a higher rank black belt.
She even took part in her full contact knockdown tournament which took place in Holland that year. Although she lost the fight she felt accomplished and proud of herself. Coming after a 10 year break, competing in her first year back was an achievement in itself.
Ireland was back on the map! When her maternity leave came to an end she had to resume her full time job (Harvey Norman at the time). She was determined to keep practicing and competing. Finding the perfect Kyokushin club in Dublin and great coaches Shihan Kevin Callan (Head of Kyokushin Ireland) and Shane Mulhall (National Knockdown Squad coach) ultimately contributed to her sports career here in Ireland.
[bctt tweet=”She made the best of those 10 years away from Karate and didn’t waste anytime.” username=”kwunion”]
Aneta speaks highly of her coaches and mentor.
“They saw my strengths and my potential while at the same time highlighting areas which I needed to improve on. Most importantly they believed in me and gave me confidence.”
Here are some of her achievements:
02/02/2013 – Scottish Open – Glasgow 1st place
04/04/2013 – 4th IFK World Tournament 2013 , 5th- 8th place
29/06/2013 – BKK Regional, Dunmow, Essex, England 1st place
04/10/2013 – KWU World Championships – Sofia, Bulgaria, 2nd place
23/11/2013 – BKK Open, 6th Incorporating Cup of Europe, Crawley, England 3rd place
29/11/2014 IFK European Open Sofia, Bulgaria, 2nd place
09/05/2015 BKK English Open, London, England, 2nd place
03/ 10/ 2015 KWU World Championships – Khabarovsk, Russia, 3rd place
17/10/2015 – 39th British Open and 7th Incorporating Cup of Europe, Crawley, England – 1st place
11/06/2016 KWU European Tournament – Belgrade, Serbia – 3rd Place
She is currently 17th in the Kyokushin World Rankings table 2015 (23rd in 2014) and is holder of a 2nd Dan Black belt.
Can you believe that she has only been actively training again for 5 years now. Her training regime is insane, just to give you an insight into what she does to grab all those titles: her training sessions varies from 3 times per week up to 11 times per week depending on upcoming competitions and essentially her goals.
[bctt tweet=”Aneta speaks highly of her coaches and mentor.” username=”kwunion”]
“In the mornings I would train with Dave Hedges of the Wild Geese Martial Arts Centre. He helps me to improve my strength, power and endurance. One day per week I would have a sparring session in the Kokoro MMA Club with lads who are practicing various styles of Martial Arts such as MMA, Muay Thai, and Kickboxing etc. While there, I can try out different techniques and combinations I earned with my coaches during the evening sessions. So when people say that Karate is not just a sport, it is a way of life – I believe they are right. They know what they are talking about.”
Aneta believes that Kyokushin Karate has several benefits which would include: discipline, respect, art, fitness, empathy, and motivation.
She also feels that it’s beneficial for both men and women.
“Especially for all women out there, as it gives you confidence, raises fitness levels, and strengthens your physical and mental health without taking away your femininity, and in particular for children – not only because the sport improves fitness levels, full body strength and flexibility (thus setting them on a path to a brighter future without crippling injuries or ailments), but it also prepares children for life – making them more confident, resilient, respectful, and disciplined individuals and members of society. This, I believe, can contribute greatly in confronting and dealing effectively with bullying or being bullied highlighting yet another positive side of the sport.”
Aneta’s big dream is to take part in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo as it would give karate a huge boost in popularity and the global recognition it deserves.
Here is a definition of Kyokushin Karate: Sparring, also called kumite, is used to train the application of the various techniques within a fighting situation. Sparring is usually an important part of training in most Kyokushin organizations, especially at the upper levels with experienced students.
In most Kyokushin organizations, hand and elbow strikes to the head or neck are prohibited. However, kicks to the head, knee strikes, punches to the upper body, and kicks to the inner and outer leg are permitted. In some Kyokushin organizations, especially outside of a tournament environment, gloves and shin protectors are worn. Children often wear headgear to lessen the impact of any kicks to the head. Speed and control are instrumental in sparring and in a training environment it is not the intention of either practitioner to injure his opponent as much as it is to successfully execute the proper strike. Tournament fighting under knockdown karate rules is significantly different as the objective is to down an opponent. Full-contact sparring in Kyokushin is considered the ultimate test of strength, endurance, techniques and spirit.
Arlette Bomahou
Partner Support Agent on site at Google at Accenture
[bctt tweet=”Sparring in Kyokushin is considered the ultimate test of strength, endurance, techniques and spirit” username=”kwunion”]
