Jonathan Ferreira’s hard work paid off as he placed first in two categories at the world championships.
Although most Canadians head down south to relax in the sun, Jonathan Ferreira spent his time in Florida fighting for gold.
Ferreira, a Grade 10 Immaculata High School student, brought home two gold medals from the World Karate and Kickboxing Amateur World Championships, in Orlando, Florida, this November.
The 15-year-old competed in the minus 60-kilogram division for junior boys sparring and junior boys team sparring, winning both competitions and earning himself the title of World Champion.
This is the fourth year Ferreira has competed in the event, and says finally finishing in first place made it more special.
“I was ecstatic when I won. It wasn’t my first worlds, I did it over and over and over. So finally getting that gold was awesome,” he says.
In the individual category, Ferreira fought in elimination rounds against two American and one German fighter. Coming out on top, he advanced to the finals where he met another Canadian for the gold medal match and beat him 14-6.
“I was pretty nervous, because it was my first time being in the finals,” says Ferreira.
“But I fought the guy in the Canadian qualifiers, so I knew how he fought. It calmed me down a little,” he says.
Ferreira was also selected to fight on the five-member Canadian team for junior boys aged 13-17.
In team fighting, members participate in a two-minute round where points are awarded for kicking and punching certain ‘targets’ on the body. Whichever team wins the most rounds is declared the winner.
During the team elimination round against England, Ferreira says the pressure was on him to perform. He was the last fighter to enter the ring in a tied match.
“I was nervous going up, being the last person. But I heard a lot of people cheering for Canada, and I thought, ‘okay,’ I can do this,” he says.
Winning his match, Canada defeated England 3-2 and moved on to the finals where the team beat Italy by an identical score.
“All the guys put in a lot of effort. We all wanted to win another gold medal,” says Ferreira.
“So coming home with two gold medals each was awesome. I can’t explain it,” he says.
Miriam Ferreira, Jonathan’s mother, says she didn’t get a chance to watch her son training in the weeks leading up to the competition, and was “mesmerized” by his performance.
“I didn’t think I was looking at my son…He did very well,” she says. “I didn’t doubt that he could do it, but sometimes you hesitate.”
Part of this can be attributed to his unique sparring style, she says.
In the past year, Ferreira has had two different trainers, both with different attitudes towards fighting.
“One was very subtle, one more rugged. [So] he knows how to use the ring and how to maneuver an opponent,” says Ferreira’s mother.
Peter Douvris, sensei and owner at Douvris Martial Arts where Ferreira trains, says he is a smart fighter who reads his opponents well.
“He’s got great footwork, very fast hands. He knows how to control his opponent when he’s on the mat. He knows how to take away their center,” he says.
With over 200 participants in Orlando, Team Canada won 205 medals and came in first place overall. Germany followed in second, England in third, and the U.S. in fourth.
Ferreira’s mother says it was clear that Canada dominated at the competition.
“Each time we had a medal ceremony, there was a Canadian on the podium. After awhile, the poor announcer was tired of saying ‘Canada,’ ” she says.
Although he will be taking a break until January, Ferreira says he will be training hard to make the Canadian national team again next spring, and says he looks forward to defending his title of world champion in 2009.