Kicking way to the top

What must be the tallest feather in his cap is his winning Air Force One K1 World Championship last Wednesday after defeating the Russian title holder Nikita Perovezkin.

Abu Steit is six-time world amateur kickboxing champion and world professional champion in the sport once…so far. It runs in the family. His father was a boxer.

His academic achievements are legion: BSc in engineering from the Military Technical College, BSc in military science, MSc in mechanical engineering, and a PhD in satellite thermal control.

Abu Steit told the Egyptian Mail that hard training coupled with determination, time management, and support from family and military, state officials helped him win the world title.

Serving in the Egyptian Army and working in a rare specialty for his doctorate did not hold him back from training and winning.

Abu Steit, 42, said he was in a closed camp for ten weeks at the Maadi Olympic Centre and did intensive training for seven months with five coaches and a psychiatric rehabilitator to be fully prepared for the tournament.

He started kung fu at age six when kickboxing was unknown in Egypt.

Later, he started kickboxing in his home city of Mansoura and won first place in Dakahlia Governorate and in the Republic Championship.

His ambition was to be in the national team and represent Egypt at international event. He took part in the first Arab international championship.

In the Military Technical College team, he won Egypt’s first gold medal in kickboxing and then kicked his way through five consecutive world amateur championships winning four gold medals and a silver. (It could have been gold, were it not for an injury.)

He came first in the Asian Open Championship, won five Arab championships and was in two Arab tournaments, bagging a gold medal.

At 40, he saw his last championship. As the competitors were aged 20-35 years old, he had to sign an indemnity for. He still came first.

He was then awarded the title of Dean of World Players.

On his next destination for tournaments, the world champion said that he has a World Pro Championship that will be organized by Russian Monster Organization after five months.

Hosted by Egypt for the first time and organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports at the Covered Hall at Cairo International Stadium, the tournament brought together Egypt, Jordan, Russia and the Netherlands.

The winner awarded the title of world champion for the year 2021 AD – the International Federation of kick boxing belt – and the Fez Qawat Al-Rama title.

The Russian player that Abu Steit defeated in the final match has a great history in kickboxing. The 27-year-old champion has played 34 professional matches, in which he won 24 – 10 of them by knockout and14 with points – and lost in only 10.