Douglas Brose

Believe what you are doing. Faith is one of the most important things for you to get where you want, just believe.

Douglas Brose

Known for his lightning-fast, and dynamic techniques, Douglas Brose is one of the most imaginative fighters. Winning all the possible international competitions available to him, he was the first Brazilian to win a World Karate Federation (WKF) world title.

Douglas Santos Brose was born in Cruz Alta, Brazil, on 11 December 1985. When he was five years old, he and his family moved to the Brazilian city of Florianopolis, in 1991.

In 1994 Brose had begun practising Shito-Ryu Karate, under Eduardo Riveros. He had been inspired to start training by movies such as ‘The Karate Kid‘, ‘The Great White Dragon‘, ‘The Dragon’s Fury‘, and ‘Dragon’s Flight‘.

In 1998 Brose was selected to represent the Brazilian Youth Karate team. The following year he won his first Brazilian Karate title in kumite.

Brose was awarded his 1st Dan in 2000, aged 15. The following year he was selected for the senior Brazilian National Karate Team. For the next few years, he worked hard to gain experience and establish himself within the National Team.

In 2006 Brose represented Brazil at his first World Championships. At the 18th World Karate Championship held in Tampere, Finland, he lost his first fight in the tournament. Aged only 20, he gained a lot of experience.

November 2006 saw Brose achieve his first international success. At the 8th South American Games held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he won a bronze medal in the Men’s Individual -60 kg Kumite event. He also helped Brazil win a silver in the Men’s Team Kumite Event.

In July 2007 Karate was included in the Pan-American Games for the first time. At the 15th Pan-American Games, held in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, Brose won a bronze medal in the Men’s Individual -60 kg Kumite event.

2007 also saw Brose enrol at Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina (UNISUL), Santa Catarina, Brazil, to study Physical Education.

Brose won his first-ever World Championship medal at the 19th World Championships, held in Tokyo, Japan, between 13-16 November. He won a bronze medal in the Men’s Individual -60 kg Kumite event, behind Danil Domdjoni and Darkhan Assadilov.

The following year Brose won his first international gold medal at the 8th World Games held between 25-26 July in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. His win was all the more remarkable as he fought with a broken jaw.

2010 was a big year for Brose. At the 9th South American Games held in March in Medellin, Columbia, he helped Brazil win Team Kumite gold. Later that year in October, he became World Champion at the 20th World Championships held in Belgrade, Serbia. In the final of the Men’s Individual -60 kg Kumite event, he defeated Michele Giuliani to win gold.

2010 also saw Brose marry Lucelia Ribeiro. From 1999-2011 she won four consecutive kumite titles for Brazil at the Pan-American Games. Brose also graduated from university.

A fan favourite, Brose had become one of the worlds top kumite competitors. From 2010-2019 he compiled one of the most impressive kumite records, finishing in the top three positions in most of the major competitions he entered. His successes include:

• World Championships (Individual) – 1st place (2010, 2014)
• World Championships (Individual) – 2nd place ( Says 2012)
• World Championships (Individual) – 3rd place) (2008)
• World Games (Individual) – 1st place (2009)
• World Games (Individual) – 2nd place (2013)
• World combat Games (Individual) -3rd place (2013)
• Pan-American Games (Individual) -1st place (2015)
• Pan-American Games (Individual) – 2nd place (2019)
• Pan-American Games (Individual) -3rd place (2007, 2011)
• Pan-American Championships (Individual) -1st place (2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019)
• South American Games (Individual)- 1st place (2014)
• South American Games (Individual)-3rd place (2006)
• South American Games (Team) – 1st place (2010)
• South American Games (Team) – 2nd place) (2006)
• South American Championships (Individual) – 1st place (2011, 2013)

Away from Karate, in 2013 Brose became the Executive Director of Arawaza, a sporting goods company.

2014 was a perfect year for Brose, in March he won the Men’s Individual -60 kg title at the South American Games, held in Santiago, Chile. He followed this with success at the Pan-American Championships, held in Lima, Peru, in May, where he won the -60 kg Kumite title. In November at the 22nd World Karate Championships held in Bremen, Germany, he made it to his third consecutive World Championship final. He regained the -60 kg title that he had last won in 2010, in Belgrade, Serbia. 2014 also saw the birth of his and Lucelia’s son, Daniel.

In 2016 at the Olympic Games held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that Karate would be one of five new sports included at the 2020 game held in Tokyo. Brose like many of his fellow competitors was extremely pleased. It had long been the dream of many competitors to see Karate included in the Olympic Games. An ambassador of the Worlds Karate Federation (WKF), and a member of the International Committee of Athletes, he had been part of the lobbying effort to see Karate included in the Games. He would be in his mid-30s by the time of the 2020 Games. However, he was determined to make the Olympic Games. He also believed that Karate’s inclusion would help spread its reach.

Brose had an internship with the Brazilian army, in 2017. He was awarded the rank of Sergeant. He currently holds the rank of 3rd Sergeant.

On 24 March 2020, the IOC and the Tokyo Olympics organisers decided to postpone the Olympic Games due to the global Covid-19 pandemic. The games were rescheduled to start on 23 July 2021. Brose would be 35 years old at the time. The global pandemic saw many other tournaments cancelled in 2020. Although he is coming to the end of his competitive career, he has set his sights on winning an Olympic medal. It is the only medal he does not have, in a very successful competitive career.

On 5 June 2020, the WKF created an initiative campaign called #LearnKarateWith for Karate fans from around the world to have online Karate sessions with some of the Karate world’s top stars. Former Kata World Champion, Antonio Diaz, gave the first training session. Brose gave the second training session on 23 June 2020. His session focused on speed and power training to kicking.

Together with his wife Lucelia, Brose has created the Douglas Brose Institute for Children. The aim of the organisation is to make a difference in the lives of children through the practice of sport.

Edgar Ferraz de Oliveria, the former President of the Brazilian Confederation of Karate (CBK), has described Douglas Brose as the greatest Brazillian Karate athlete of all time. As the greatest Brazilian karate athlete of all time. It is a claim that is very hard to refute.