Rika Usami


Rika Usami is a Japanese practitioner in Shito-ryu Karate who is best known for her victory at the 2012 World Karate Championships.

Early life

Usami was born on February 20, 1986 in Tokyo, Japan. She had said in an interview that she started karate when she was 10 years old by joining a Goju-ryu-style dojo located near her family’s house in Tokyo, after seeing a female fighter on television. Her older brother has been practicing karate to which he even let Usami wear his karate gi on occasions, so that helped her a lot when she decided to eventually start practicing Karate herself.
Her first karate tournament was when she was a green belt at 12 years old in elementary school. She didn't participate in big tournaments until at age 15. She first won a big tournament at 17 years old at the national high school championship.