Thu | May 2, 2024

Dusard lands Ja’s third gold in Germany

Published:Monday | October 23, 2023 | 12:08 AMAinsley Walters/Gleaner Writer
Jamaica’s Nicholas Dusard (second left) is flanked by silver-medallist Thomas Falmad (left) of France, bronze medallists Nicholai Reid (third left) and Portugal’s Goncala Ferreira after winning light-heavyweight continuous-sparring gold at the October
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Jamaica’s Nicholas Dusard (second left) is flanked by silver-medallist Thomas Falmad (left) of France, bronze medallists Nicholai Reid (third left) and Portugal’s Goncala Ferreira after winning light-heavyweight continuous-sparring gold at the October 18-22 International Sport Kickboxing Association’s Amateur Members Association World Championships in Munich, Germany.

NICHOLAS Dusard on Friday won Jamaica’s third gold of the International Sport Kickboxing Association Amateur Members Association (ISKA AMA) 2023 World Championships in Munich, Germany, narrowly defeating the United Kingdom’s Stanly Johnson 11-10 for the men’s -70kg points-sparring title.

Dusard continues to play a key role in Jamaica’s return to international competition after the COVID-19 pandemic, topping the ESPN Night of Champions taekwon-do battle at the 2022 United States Open and winning bronze at the International Taekwon-Do Federation’s World Cup in Koper, Slovenia.

A veteran ISKA AMA fighter, 34-year-old Dusard, won gold at the 2018 and 2019 world championships in addition to being a three-time International Taekwon-Do Federation Pan-Am champion.

Dusard was among the team that that bagged five gold, a silver and a bronze at the 2019 ISKA AMA World Championships at Neptune Stadium in Cork City, Ireland.

The decorated fighter was set to take the mat last night, joining Akino Lindsay and Richard Stone in their quest for two gold medals apiece in their respective continuous-sparring divisions. Nicholai Reid will also take the mat in continuous-sparring action.

Jamaica’s five-man squad, coached by Jason McKay and sponsored by McKay Security, is one of the smallest contingents at the world championship, but sits high on the medal table, holding their own against superpowers such as Germany, who fielded 567 fighters.

McKay defended his squad size, explaining that winning at summer tournaments, such as the International Sports Karate Association’s United States Open, is a pathway to excelling in Europe.

“I only carried qualifiers, winners, from the US Open. If you can’t win there, you will not win in Europe. I am here for medals,” he said, adding that experience counts, pointing to Dusard being Jamaica’s most consistent and longest-serving fighter competing in the ISKA.