SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KGTV) — A local martial artist is set to receive three World Championship Titles in Sport Karate after competing in tournaments across the country in 2024.
At her last competition of the year in Toronto, Abigail Hunck,13, and her father, Michael, tallied all her points from the 12 competitions together, and the total number determined she met the threshold to win three World Championship Titles for the three divisions she competed in.
Hunck will win those titles for creative open-hand form, extreme open-hand form, and creative weapons form. She is set to receive the awards in Chicago in the new year.
Hunck is a junior black belt who trains at Freestyle Martial Arts in Point Loma.
Hunck has been studying martial arts for seven years, and started competing in the past three.
In that time, Hunck has not only earned multiple belts, but she's also won hundreds of medals and trophies. They're seen displayed on the walls and shelves of her bedroom, and the skilled martial artist admits that her passion for her sport was acquired over time.
"I didn't like it at first," Hunck said. "My parents pushed me, and then I realized that it really helped my confidence. I feel like when I'm on the mat, I'm just really intense, and you can't always see the shy part of me because I always yell as loud as I can."
The soft-spoken 13-year-old transforms herself on the mat when she begins to strike, kick, and wield her bo staff, and those moves are what catapulted Hunck to the top of her competitions.
Hunck's father said in the North American Sport Karate Association, a competitor wins a world championship title by earning the most points. The points are accrued from every division one competes in per tournament.
For Hunck, she competed in five divisions at each of the 12 different tournaments she went to in 2024, including cities like Chicago, Toronto, Miami, then Texas, Rhode Island, and New Jersey.
Hunck said her competitions were fierce in every division, and there were up to 25 other girls she competed against each time.
"I had to work really hard for all of them," Hunck said. "[The other girls] always just keep getting better, so I have to also get better so I can keep my world titles."
Hunck won World Championship titles in the past, but winning this year's competition once again did not come easy. Michael said she was sick at most of her tournaments, and she suffered an injury from one of her high kicks.
"I had to compete with my team with that injury, and I had to go to practices and push through the pain," Hunck said.
However, the pain did not stop her, and neither did the sacrifices she had to make at such a young age while also balancing full-time school work.
"I have to miss a lot of fun things for it, but I think it's worth it because it's worth winning the world titles and knowing that you're one of the few people who have done that in San Diego," Hunck said.
Michael said he's proud of his daughter and said she has accomplished something rare, by putting San Diego on the map in the world of Karate.
There are a limited number of girls Hunck's age who are able to travel from San Diego to competitions across the country.
Hunck said most of the competitions are on the East Coast because that's the halfway point for the West Coast and Europe.
Out of the 12 competitions Hunck went to in 2024, only five were with her teammates. The rest she competed in by herself.
"It makes it even more special being from this city of San Diego," Hunck said. "There's this girl who's able to go and compete against the best and beat them, and it's not just a testament to my daughter's determination but to her whole support system."
Hunck wanted to take a moment to thank her support system.
"I'm really thankful for my parents because they take me to practice and competitions, and they're always my biggest critics in martial arts and my biggest cheerleaders," Hunck said. "I'm really thankful for my team for always supporting me and giving me critiques because I know I really need it to help me win. And I also want to really thank all my coaches for taking their time to help me with all my forms and just help me get better in general."
Hunck also wanted to recognize and personally thank her following coaches: Sensei Will Jackson, Leslie Hernandez, Samantha Mitling, Jacob Ellis, and Taylor Clark.
To see Hunck's NASKA bio, click here.
