Dressed in his elegant red shirt and suit jacket, Jeannot Mulolo awaits us at Le Félicien restaurant in Namur. We share an enriching discussion about martial arts and his sporting career. An emblematic figure in karate, he’s now on all fronts and has lost none of his vigour!

Hello Jeannot! Thank you for agreeing to answer our questions. Could you tell our readers a little about your background?

Hello, Jeannot Mulolo, I am 55 years old today. I’m a former top-level athlete and I’ve practiced karate all over the world. Today, I’m the father of two great international champions: my son Jonathan and my daughter Ophélie. Their brother Hugo also follows in their footsteps. I’m also sports director and founder of Simba Team, a karate school and Turbo Kick Power.

So karate is a family affair!

Exactly! My children have loved karate from an early age and we’ve always shared the same vision of the martial arts. It all happened naturally, and today I’m happy with what they’ve become – they’re great athletes.

In your day-to-day life, what does karate bring you in terms of sport, values and encounters?

I think karate is a universal sport that has opened a lot of doors for me.

For example, at the university in Congo, some rooms didn’t have enough space to accommodate everyone. This meant that 10 students could be in the same room. Since I was a karateka and had a certain level, I could have access to a personal room, as a mark of respect.

It also enabled me to come into contact with all kinds of people: young people, older people… As well as the sport itself, there are also the encounters and travels, the relationship aspect which is much more marked. Karate also conveys unique values such as courage, health, self-confidence… the list is so long *smile*.

You moved to Belgium in the 90s after living in Zaire.

I had inherited the club from the university where I taught for some time. At that time, I was already competing at a high level. I became sports director for the province of the capital, Kinshasa. In one day, we could do up to 15 fights! And when you manage to impose yourself, everyone respects you.

You have nothing to be ashamed of in terms of your track record! You were voted best karateka in the world in Paris.

It was one of the first times I’d entered a competition of this magnitude, and reaching the final after winning 10 bouts was a great achievement for me. The fight was a little botched due to a technical problem…

A moment that particularly struck you during your career?

When you’re on your own and you get a result, it’s great. When you do it as a team, it’s even better!

What I remember most, apart from my title in Paris, was my last international fight in Tokyo. The final took place in a mythical venue against the Japanese and I won it in spectacular fashion. It’s an unforgettable feeling. Today, I try to pass on everything I’ve learned to develop, such as courage and patience. A fight always allows you to improve and work on certain points. And when I decided to stop and leave the world scene, I was happy to do so in full success and to keep this positive image. A top-level athlete is never safe from ending his or her career “badly”.

You also founded the Mulolo Team and teach Turbo Kick Power!

Towards the end of the 90s, I was traveling regularly to the USA for training and I discovered what was then known as Taebo. I went to Los Angeles to try out a course and was very impressed! The majority of practitioners were women. After 15 minutes of training, I would look at my watch to see when it was going to stop, so intensive was the practice. After that, I came back regularly to train.

On my return to Belgium, I had a friend who was a fitness student, and he suggested I take a course in the field. I accepted, but I never thought I’d give a class of my own. Later, the owner of a karate club asked me if I could teach fist-fighting sports. I officially started giving basic courses in 2000, and have since improved my skills, notably by going to Australia and Chicago to expand my knowledge.

My reputation as a karateka has enabled me to organize various events to promote Turbo Kick Power. I have set up a training program alongside specialists from the worlds of dance, fitness and physical preparation… Today, over a hundred teachers have been trained. We’re growing and we’re going to have a fixed structure to train people internationally. In France, we already have top-level athlete-professors in the fields of krav maga, kick boxing…

This year, we’ll be celebrating 20 years of Turbo Kick and 25 years of Simba Team. It’s always interesting to see how participants evolve after so many years *smile*.

To see a 6-year-old develop within the club, to see him reach adulthood and become a responsible person, is something precious. It’s rewarding to see them blossom and get through life well.

Club members also see themselves “growing old” together. Even if I don’t see them all the time, like Thierry Coupin who is my son’s godfather. I know that if I phone him with a problem, he’ll be there. If he picks up the phone and calls me, I’ll be there too. There really are people with whom I have forged bonds through karate and who are now part of the family. What we’ve experienced together during our martial journey (the effort, the parties, the laughter), is what makes us share something unique today. These are the very solid things that a sport can bring us.

I gather that you don’t like running *smile*. Are there any movements and exercises you do regularly to keep fit?

I often work the large muscles with squats, sit-ups and push-ups, especially the legs and back, to get the correct posture. Stretching is also very important for maintaining flexibility.

Thanks to Jeannot for this exchange! You too can rely on Daisho to equip you with the best quality/price/durability ratio.

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