Karate is like music. Everyone has the same instrument, the same score, but there are some who play it better than others.
Michael Milon
Widely regarded as a true legend in the world of tournament Karate, Michael Milon was one of the most famous and talented karatekas of the late 1990s. Milon was considered an innovative competitor, his kata performances characterised by quick, fluid and powerful techniques.
Michael Milon was born on 13th March 1972 near Loches de Tours, France. He started training in Shotokan at the age of nine, under the tutorship of his father Michel. Over the years other notable teachers of Milon included Hirokazu Kanazawa and Hiroshi Shirai.
Originally Milon was a kumite competitor. However, due to a lack of control was disqualified a number of times. He switched to being a kata competitor and the rest is history. In 1986 he won his first French Championship aged just fourteen.
A key characteristic of Michael Milon’s kata performances were their technical correctness, and pure dynamism, clearly shown in his main competition kata, Unsu. His dynamism has led to him winning many major tournaments at both junior and senior level. His tournament honours include:
- World Championships – Individual (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000)
- World Championships – Team (1990, 1994, 1996)
- World Cup – Individual (1993, 1995, 1997)
- European Championship – Individual (1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997)
- European Championship – Team (1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997)
- French Championship – Individual (1993, 1995, 1997, 1998)
- Coupe de France – Individual (1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997)
- The Mediterranean Games (1990)
In 2000 Milon retired from competitive tournament Karate. In 2001 he became the French national coach for the Junior Karate team. Away from Karate, Milon was a regular on French television.
On the 13th March 2002, Michael Milon was found dead from an apparent cocaine overdose. The Karate world lost a karateka who still had much to offer.
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