Garry O'Neill (born 1974) is an Australian
karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...
ka and
kickboxer
Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...
. O'Neill is one of his country's most accomplished
Kyokushin contestants, achieving second place in the Japanese championships twice, and placing fourth at the World Open. He has won Gold in the Australian Nationals twice, in years 1995 and 1998. During his
full-contact Karate career, O'Neill fought against many notable fighters who are now considered premier sportsmen of their era, including
Hajime Kazumi and
Francisco Filho.
Background
O'Neill began practising Kyokushin at the age of 14 after being inspired by the film
Karate Kid
''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the '' Karate Kid'' franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue and ...
. O'Neill achieved a black belt at the age of 16 under Cameron Quinn, Brisbane. At the age of 19, O'Neill acquired the 2nd Dan's black belt and later, at the age of 21, he moved to Japan to practice Kyokushin. O'Neill then practiced for two years at Kamata Dojo under
Tsuyoshi Hiroshige. He completed the 3rd Dan Black Belt in Japan and immediately participated in the World Open, where O'Neill finished fourth. He lived in Japan until the end of 1997 and last year worked as a director in Kyokushin's main hall, Honbu.
O'Neill would then return to Australia and Melbourne, where he taught karate for two years.
Fighting career
O'Neill first achieved success in major international competitions at the World Open in 1995. At that time, he lost the bronze match to
Francisco Filho and finished fourth.
He won bronze in the middleweight class in the All Japan Weight Category Karate Championships in 1995.
For the next two years, O'Neill fought in the All Japan Open Karate Tournament, in the years 1996 and 1997. On both occasions he advanced to the finals, where O'Neill faced Hajime Kazumi on both occasions, losing both times.
[http://www.kyokushinkaikan.org/ja/tournament/alljapan-29.html ]
January 11, 2002, O'Neill fought a single kick-boxing against fighter Toshio Matsumoto and was defeated by TKO in Round 1.
Ending the career
After O'Neill ended his fighting career in 2003, he began working at CrossFit Brisbane.
In 2012, O'Neill returned to karate and set up his own club in Brisbane. On his return, he fought one match at the New Zealand Open against Jamie Eades. The fight ended in a draw after two additional rounds.
Fighting style
Garry fights with a splendid kicking technique while taking time with the unique footwork called "Garry Step". This footwork also influenced Norichika Tsukamoto - who also practised with O'Neill- of the Shinkyokushinkai and Yusuke Fujii of the Kyokushinkan.
See also
*
List of karateka
List of karateka includes notable practitioners of karate, listed in alphabetical order by surname. Note that Japanese name order might not be consistent in this list, due to differing conventions. Individual entries list each person's name, year ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:ONeill, Garry
Australian martial artists
1973 births
Living people
Kyokushin kaikan practitioners