Bellevue's Tang Beats Japanese Foe To Take Karate Title

Debbie Tang, a University of Washington premed student from Bellevue, became the first person to defeat a Japanese opponent in international karate forms competition - men's or women's - when she won the gold Saturday in the International Goodwill Karate Championships at Shoreline Community College.

``It felt great,'' Tang said. ``It was so nice to see the American flag above the Japanese flag for once.''

Tang's gold in the women's individual kata, or forms, event was the only gold for the United States during the two-day World Union of Karate-Do Organizations-sanctioned event, which involved nine countries. The event was not associated with the Goodwill Games.

Jerry Ferguson of Everett, the only other area competitor last weekend, won the silver in men's kata - second to the Japanese, who won the three events Tang didn't.

Tang beat her silver-winning Japanese opponent by four-tenths of a point, considered a large margin in kata competition.

``I had trained really hard for this one,'' she said. ``Sensei Kathy Jones (her instructor) worked really hard with me. I guess it paid off.''

Tang won a kata gold in the Pan American karate championships in May and a bronze in the women's World Cup in Fukuoka, Japan, earlier this month.

She and her sister, Mimi, who is ranked second in the U.S. in women's kata, left yesterday for Akron, Ohio, where they will compete in the U.S. National Karate Championships this weekend.

Juanita duo keys wins

-- Tami Storseth and Jenny Gibbons, members of Juanita High School's state-champion softball team, combined to produce 7 runs to help their Lynnwood-based Diamond Queens fastpitch team win three of five games in the ASA Northwest Regional 18-under tournament last weekend in Missoula, Mont.

Storseth, who plays second base, hit .350 (7 for 20) in the tournament, driving in three runs and scoring a pair. Gibbons, who plays first, hit .333 (5 for 15) with an RBI and run scored.

``They were key people,'' Diamond Queens Coach Jan Bosworth said.

``It was highly competitive softball,'' Bosworth said.

The Queens, who won the state tournament in five straight a week earlier, finished their season 70-24.

Rebels go out winners

-- The Kirkland Rebels girls' fastpitch softball team closed its season by winning four of six games to earn a tie for seventh place in the 16-and-under ASA Western Regional Tournament in Portland last weekend.

The Rebels (29-18) were among 25 teams from a five-state region competing in the double-elimination tournament.

``We were very happy,'' Kirkland Coach Chuck Bessner said. ``It was a good tournament. We finished higher than any other Puget-Sound area team, and we surprised some teams down there.''

State Legion tourney

-- Kirkland Pepsi opens the American Legion state baseball tournament Friday with a 9:30 a.m. game against Deer Park.

The eight-team tournament at Spokane's Indians Stadium continues through next Tuesday.

Tournament schedule:

FRIDAY'S SCHEDULE

Game 1 - 9:30 a.m., Kirkland Pepsi vs. Deer Park; Game 2 - 1 p.m., Vancouver vs. Yakima Beetles; Game 3 - 5 p.m., Federal Way vs. Bremerton; Game 4 - 8:30 p.m., Edmonds vs. Arby's-Spokane.

SATURDAY'S SCHEDULE

Game 5 - 9:30 a.m., loser Game 1 vs. loser Game 2; Game 6 - 1 p.m., loser Game 3 vs. loser Game 4; Game 7 - 5 p.m., winner Game 1 vs. winner Game 2; Game 8 - 8:30 p.m., winner Game 3 vs. winner Game 4.

SUNDAY'S SCHEDULE

Game 9 - 12 p.m., loser Game 8 vs. winner Game 5; Game 10 - 3 p.m., loser Game 7 vs. winner Game 6; Game 11 - 7 p.m., winner Game 7 vs. winner Game 8.

MONDAY (AUG. 6) SCHEDULE

Game 12 - 3 p.m., winner Game 9 vs. winner Game 10; Game 13 - 7 p.m., loser Game 11 vs. winner Game 12.

TUESDAY (AUG. 7) SCHEDULE

Game 14 - 12 p.m., winner Game 11 vs. winner Game 13; Game 15 (if necessary) - 3 p.m., same teams from Game 14.