News release
Santa Clarita resident Rocky Whatule earned three gold medals and one bronze in the 2025 World Karate Commission World Championships held recently in Niagara Falls, New York.
The sensei, comedian and ice hockey referee was representing Zanshin Shotokan Karate and Fitness, located inside The Cube Ice and Entertainment Center in Valencia.
After nearly a decade on the sidelines coaching Team Kumite of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Whatule came out of retirement following a total hip replacement in 2023, according to a news release from Zanshin Shotokan.
“I just wanted to see if I could still be competitive and set an example for my students and my three sons,” he said in the release.
Last year, Whatule competed at the 2024 WKC World Championships in Portugal, where he shared the mats with his eldest son, Remington Whatule, a senior at Valencia High School. The father-son duo placed fifth in team forms, and Rocky took home three silver medals — results that fueled his determination to aim higher in 2025, the release said.
This year’s WKC Worlds featured elite athletes from more than a dozen nations, including the U.S., Canada, Ireland, England, Germany, Spain and Argentina.
“You can’t just walk into this level of competition and expect to win,” Whatule said in the release. “It’s not like the movies — it takes years of dedication.”
To reach the world stage, Whatule first qualified at nationals in Pittsburgh, in December, then secured his position on Team WKC USA at the 2025 National Championships in Dearborn, Michigan, where he earned one gold, two silvers and two bronze.
At the World Championships in Niagara Falls, Whatule captured medals in multiple divisions: gold in 35+ Traditional Weapons; gold in 42+ Traditional Weapons; gold in 42+ Creative Weapons; and, bronze in 35+ Open Weight Three-Man Team Point Fighting.
Whatule is training to defend his world titles for the 2026 WKC World Championships in Cádiz, Spain, and has set his sights on the International Combat Organization World Championships in France.
For Whatule, the medals are only part of the journey, the release said.
“Success is measured by more than medals — Shotokan Karate teaches discipline, humility and perseverance. Winning is great, but my real goal is to inspire others — not just young students but even us old guys. I want show others to never stop pursuing excellence through focus, respect and perseverance. If I can inspire others to chase their goals with that mindset, then that’s the real victory.”
