A chance to compete in the Olympic debut of karate is on the line for a Jesuit alumnus this weekend.
Tom Scott, class of 2008, will travel to Paris for the Olympic qualification tournament, which runs Friday through Sunday. He competes in the 75-kilogram weight class of the kumite discipline.
Ten athletes from that weight class and discipline will compete in Tokyo. The top four in the world rankings earn automatic bids, as well as the top performer from Japan. The rest of the field is comprised of the top three finishers from the tournament and two wildcard invites.
Scott is No. 6 in the world rankings.
Scott started karate when he was 8 and was a member of the U.S. Junior National Team by age 14. The 31-year-old travels the world for karate, but since high school, he has always taught at the Academy of Classical Karate in Plano.
Scott will compete on Day 2 of the tournament. Watch the action on the World Karate Federation’s YouTube channel.
