UWG News Archive

UWG student is World Karate Champion

December 13, 2004

CARROLLTON, GA - A University of West Georgia student is now a world champion!

Matthew Vaughn of Douglasville won a gold medal in the World Karate Federation (WKC) Championships in Darmstadt, Germany in October. The 19-year-old sophomore defeated 200 other contestants in ”kata,” which is a demonstration of individual forms of karate, during three rounds of competition. There were teams from Romania, Spain, Germany and Serbia.

“When I did my kata, I was tied for first place and we had to go to a tie breaker during a fourth round of competition,” explained Vaughn, who is a second-degree black belt. “There is a panel of judges and you get points depending on the difficulty of the demonstration. It’s like ice skating or gymnastics.”

Vaughn competes through the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), the governing body that regulates amateur competitions in the United States. He competed in the 18-20 year-old division of Shatokan, the oldest level in the junior division.

“(The AAU) pays for some teams to go and this was the first year that they paid for a junior team to go,” Vaughan pointed out. “It’s similar to what is done for the Olympics. You go to team trials, make the A team, where they pay for everything, B team, where they pay for half, and C team, where they didn’t pay at all. They chose me for the A team, so all my expenses were paid.”

Vaughn has been involved in karate since he was 6 years old and explained that the discipline involved in the art helps him with his studies at UWG. He credits Aziz Kheder and Samantha Hostlettler, owners Champion Karate & Fitness in Douglasville, for teaching him techniques that are not only useful in karate, but in class also.

“The focus you learn in karate you can use in class,” Vaughn noted. “(The techniques) help a lot when you need to concentrate.”

Vaughn, who his friends dubbed “The Karate Man,” has medaled in other competitions so he expected to do well when he competed in Germany.

“I’m very confident in what I do because I been doing this since I was six,” Vaughn said. “I’ve competed internationally before, just not in a world championship, and placed fairly high. So I went over there expecting at least a top three finish because I knew if I put my mind to it, I could do it.”

Vaughan is the son of Lynn and Robert Vaughn of Douglasville.

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