Pinoy, 3-time Australian Open karate champion retires at 15 years old
By Lito delos Reyes
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 07 Jun 2013
Levi Vincent Damaso.
DAVAO CITY (June 4) PNA --- Despite his young age of 15 years old, a Filipino boy, who is a three-time Australian Open Karate champion and Australian National Open champion has retired already from competition to focus on his studies in Australia.
Levi Vincent Damaso IV, who also won a bronze medal in the KOI World Cup held in Malaysia was unbeaten until his retirement. Damaso is a blackbelt and also a four-time State of Victoria champion.
He retired from competition because he wants to concentrate on his studies to become a doctor someday. Damaso received an academic achievement award for Math and Science last year and was awarded the Mutton Scholarship award by Cranbourne Secondary College.
Damaso has been trained by his idol World Karatedo Federation (WKF) world champion Antonio Diaz of Venezuela and is still doing private training with Joseph Byrne, a six-time Australian Champion, 2010 British Open Champion, 2010 Greece Open Champion and a 2010 Bronze Medallist at the WKF World Championships.
Levi Vincent (whose other idol is former URCC Mixed Martial Arts champion Dr. Angelito ?The Saint? Manguray of Davao City) had first learned karate from his father Levi Damaso III at home and later on joined Kimekai Karate in Australia.
?My parents would not allow us to compete. So, when my son (Vincent) wanted to compete, he was living my dream,? said the older Damaso (who has a twin brother named Ernest in Davao City.
The twins had practiced the Japanese martial art for eight years with the Japan Karate Association (JKA) Philippines in Davao City under Sensei Lito Molina.
Levi III (also a good friend of Manguray) brought his wife Marie Clarvic Bullecer of Tulip Drive and children Pauline and Levi Vincent to Melbourne in Victoria, Australia in 2008.
Vincent, who now stands 5 foot 7, was only 10 months old then.
?He (Vincent) has made Dabawenyo?s and Filipinos here in Australia proud. (And) Vincent is a proud Filipino and Dabawenyo,? said Levi III, who works as a quality control officer at a pharmaceutical company.
His wife is a medical scientist/pathology collector.
The Damaso family has been visiting the Philippines and Davao almost every other year. Their last visit was November 2012 wherein they also enjoyed scuba diving.
?Vincent also loves scuba diving,? said Damaso, who went to Oslob, Cebu to dive and see the whale sharks.
Vincent?s elder sister Pauline is now a nursing student. Their father?s uncle Pediong Damaso was the publisher of a local Davao newspaper Ang Peryodiko Dabaw (which later became as SunStar Davao). (LITO DELOS REYES)
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