Cherokee Nation Native Gets Gold at International Martial Arts Contest

Cherokee Nation resident Wade Blevins got the gold medal in China during the recent World Traditional Wushu Championships. He competed in the bare handed division. He had to beat around 3,000 of the top martial artists in the event from across the globe.

In February, Blevins is a 41 year old martial artist who was one of the 30 to be part of the US team. Wushu is ancient Chinese martial arts made for physical conditioning and self-defense. He is the only Native American who took part at the international martial arts contest.

Blevins of Tahlequah said that winning the gold medal felt incredible and it was one of the achievements he is most proud in his life. He added that all the years of hard work and training in the gym, as well as the sacrifices he has made. He said that eating better have paid off. He felt like he won the gold for his martial arts school, his family, community and the tribe.

Aside from his gold medal, Blevins also won a bronze medal in the weapons category at the same event that was held October 26. He was scored based on his balance, technique, form and speed by the international judges.

Blevins is part of the Johnson O’ Malley program of the Cherokee Nation. The program helps find resources for Native students studying in public schools. He was in in Jay when he started watching kungfu movies and since then has been fascinated with martial arts. At the age of 12, he went to his first martial arts class and got his black belt six year later. At present, Blevins spends more than twenty hours each week working out, training for competitions, and teaching martial arts. These activities allowed him to practice the kungfu that allowed him to get the gold.

Photo by Eva Rinaldi [CC-BY-SA-2.0], undefined