Taiei Kin facts for kids

Kin Taiei (Korean: 김태영, romanized: Kim Taeyong) is a famous Korean-Japanese athlete. He was born on July 8, 1970. He is known for his skills in karate, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts (MMA). He competed in big events like K-1 and DREAM. Before he started MMA, Kin was a top fighter in K-1. Other famous fighters like Peter Aerts and Ernesto Hoost even said he was the best fighter from Asia.

About Kin Taiei

His Early Life and Training

Kin Taiei was born in Amagasaki city, Japan, on July 8, 1970. He was the older of two brothers. Since his parents worked long hours, he started going to a Karate dojo. This was a place where he could learn karate and also be looked after.

When he was in fourth grade, he became very interested in soccer. By sixth grade, he stopped his karate training to focus on soccer. He even won the Japanese national championship for junior high schools in his third year.

Later, when he was a student at Kobe Korean Senior High school, he wanted to try boxing. But his parents really wanted him to stick with karate. So, he joined his school's karate team instead. He continued his karate journey at Korea University in Tokyo.

During his time at university, he took part in a full-contact karate championship. He lost to a fighter named Nobuaki Kakuda. Even though he lost, a very important person named Kazuyoshi Ishii noticed his talent. Ishii invited Kin to join Seidokaikan, a famous karate organization. After graduating from university, Kin became a student at Seidokaikan in Osaka.

Starting His Professional Career

Kin Taiei began his professional fighting career in 1993. On January 31, 1993, he competed in "The 2nd Towa Cup Karate Japan Open Tournament." He made it to the final round but was defeated by Masaaki Satake.

A few months later, on June 25, he had another big fight. He faced Changpuek Kiatsongrit from Thailand for a championship title. This was for the UKF World Light heavyweight championship. Kin fought hard but lost the match by decision.

Working as a Trainer

From 2006 to 2007, Kin Taiei took on a new role. He became a trainer for another famous fighter, Hong-man Choi, in his K-1 career. Choi's fighting skills got much better while Kin was helping him.

They worked together for almost two years. During this time, Choi had nine fights. He won six of them and lost three. Kin even helped Choi change his fighting style. He taught Choi to fight in a southpaw (left-handed) way. This helped Choi better block strong punches from opponents like Mighty Mo.

Achievements and Titles

Kin Taiei has won many titles and awards throughout his career:

• 2009 K-1 World Grand Prix in Seoul finalist
• 1996 WMTC World Junior middleweight champion
• 1995 Karate World Cup champion
• 1995 K-3 Grand Prix runner up
• 1994 UKF World Light heavyweight champion
• 1994 Karate Japan Open finalist
• 1993 Karate World Cup 3rd Place
• 1993 Karate Japan Open finalist
• 1992 Karate World Cup finalist (he lost to Andy Hug)

See also

• Seidokaikan
• List of K-1 events
• List of male kickboxers