Silver and gold for Hillner at WKC World Championships
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Jaxon Hillner returned from his fourth WKC World Championships with two gold medals, and one silver.
The 18-year-old Delmer resident won gold medals in the 15-17 year old male light contact (continuous) sparring division and 15-17 male point sparring – 60kg division in Orlando, Florida in late October. He also won silver in the World Karate Commission’s team point sparring.
“I think the 15-17 division, especially this year, had the biggest talent pool out of any of the age group there,” said Hillner, who met an Ireland opponent in his continuous (kickboxing) two-round semifinal.
“He was a good, tough fighter. It was a good fight for the first 30 seconds, we were going back and forth. I like to play a little defensive at the beginning of the match to let them tire themselves out coming to me. Halfway through the round, they start to get more tired so I’ll start pushing forward.”
Hillner had focused on hits to the body early in the match, tiring his younger opponent.
“The rest of the match was kind of me picking him apart and basically doing what I wanted, pushing the pressure.”
Hillner faced George Emsley from England, a familiar opponent and friend, in the final.
“I’ve fought him before, and beat him, so I knew that would be in his head going into the fight. After the first round, he couldn’t continue. We weren’t able to finish, so I won the fight. I think he injured his hip.”
Hillner faced the same Irish opponent in his first point sparring match.
“He was there more for the kickboxing,” said Hillner, who won comfortably 8-2.
“My second match was against an American – I could tell that was his first Worlds, so he wasn’t really experienced.”
Hillner advanced to the final with a 10-2 victory.
“It was (Emsley) again in the finals. Because of his injury from our kickboxing fight – he was hobbling around all day, he couldn’t walk – he wasn’t able to fight in point sparring. But I feel I would have beaten him because I had beat him last year in Ireland. He’s more a kickboxer.”
Hillner won silver in male 15-17 team point sparring with two martial artists from London and Ottawa (Team Canada D)
“That was a big open division with 12-13 teams. There were four Canadian teams… and they thought we were the lowest (ranked) team there.”
Hillner’s team fought Venezuela in the first round, and Hillner tied his match 5-5. He defeated an opponent from Puerto Rico (Rafael A. Guevara) 9-3 in the second round, who had earlier won the -55 point sparring division.
Canadian Team D defeated Canadian Team B in the next round, and Hillner, still undefeated, tied his next match against Guatemala’s top fighter 3-3.
“That was a good fight, but I definitely should have won that one. Either way it wouldn’t have mattered, Guatemala had probably the best, or second-best point fighters there.”
On Dec. 2, Hillner competed in an Adrenaline Exhibition Series sparring (kickboxing) match as an amateur in London.
“It’s like a show – the ring, the crowd, and you pay admission to watch. After probably four or five amateur fights – as long as they go well – it leads into the pro fights.
“I could do MMA, but that doesn’t interest me as much as the kickboxing. When you do MMA you have to do the grappling, the submissions and all that stuff. I can wrestle, I went to OFSAA last year at school (Top 10), but when it comes to grappling and submissions, it’s not my thing. I prefer standing up and striking.”
Hillner trains at Adrenaline MMA, where he also helps teach classes, and Family Karate Centre in London.
A first-year student Western University in London studying kinesiology, he also still tries to train at The Pitt in La Salette whenever he can.
“It’s difficult when I’m living in London, but when I’m home (Delmer, west of Tillsonburg) I still go to The Pitt. That’s still my main home club.”
He also connects with Martial Arts Canada when he can.
The Orlando competition, his final competition in the 15-17 division, was actually Hillner’s fifth world championship.
“Next year it’s in (Albufeira) Portugal.”
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