Nora Hanson, a rising Junior at Dutch Fork High, competed at the Battle of Atlanta World Karate Championships June 18 – 20.
Hanson won first place in the 16 – 17 Girls Black Belt Double Elimination Point Sparring Division, the 16 – 17 Girls Black Belt Point Sparring Division, and Girls Team Sparring (with Grace Aguilar.) She also won the Grand Championship title in the 16 – 17 Girls Black Belt Point Sparring Division.
The 2026 Battle was Hanson’s fifth time winning first place and second time winning Grand Champion at this tournament. She is also a five-time North American Sport Karate Association World Champion.
Hanson began her martial arts training at age five with Genova Family Karate where she earned both her first and second-degree black belt. She has competed in dozens of point sparring competitions around the country over the last eight years. She currently trains under Coach Brandon Chapman at Carolina Copperheads Martial Arts in Ballentine and with Wayne Easterling at Nitro Martial Arts and Fitness in Columbia. She is also a member of Team Velocity, a Professional Karate Team owned by Murphy Gonzales of MKA Martial Arts in Haines City, Florida.
