Biography

  • 1984 – Damian was born at 7.05 pm on July 4th in Buenos Aires (Argentina). A few years later he is moved with his family to Spain, in particular to the andalusian city of Torremolinos.
  • 1991 – Damian´s path in the Karate world begins in a little dojo of Torremolinos, Goju-Ryu Club (Nowadays one of the most successful club of Spain), with his first trainer Lorenzo Marin he did not take long to highlight in the discipline.
  • 1992 – First championship for Damian as karateka in the kata category, a Christmas Tournament, where he achieved his first medal, bronze medal.
  • 1993 – In his first participation at the National Championship, Damian goes with the kata team of his club to the National Championship for kids held in Barcelona.
  • 1994 – For the first time, He is qualified to compete a National Championship for kids in the individual kata category, being the result a 4th place. Since then, He will never miss the National Championship in each category.
  • 1997 – For the first time, Damian is proclaimed Spanish Champion in kids category competing for the Andalusian Federation.
  • 1998-99 – His participation in several regional championships continues with victories and qualifying for the Nationals, this time with two silver medals.
  • 2000 – In his last year as kid categories, Damian becomes Spanish Champion again. Also He receives, for the first time, the call of Royal Spanish Karate Federation for training with the National team.
  • 2001 – With the change of category (cadet) and new rules in Kata tournaments, Damian is not able to achieve a medal in the National Championship.
  • 2002 – In spite of getting the bronze medal at the National Championship, Damian is selected to participate in his first European Championship for cadets where He achieves his first gold medal in Europeans. He changes his life leaving the parents home in Malaga and goes to Madrid, after the call of the Spanish Federation for joining in the High Level Sport Center of Madrid. There, He starts to train under the order of Miguel A. Lopez, who reamains nowadays his trainer. Also Damian begins his studies as Aeronautical Engineer.
  • 2004 – Great year for Damian, where He is able to win all the National Championships which he participates, Junior, Senior and University. In turn, he becomes again European Champion in junior category, and for the first time he is selected by the Spanish Karate Federation to participate in a European Senior Championship, where he achieves a meritorious silver medal with just 19 years old. This year he wins his first tittle at the Ibero-American Championship, and loses fighting the bronze medal at the World Championship of Monterrey, ending finally in 5th place.
  • 2005 – In spite of having a great international projection, and achieve again the European tittle in his category (Junior), his bronze medal at the Nationals leave him out from the individual participation at the European Championship (what would continue during 7 years exactly). In team kata, Damian would achieve his first gold medal at the European Senior Championship. After that, Damian had a surgery due to a muscle injury that would keep him out from tatamis during 3 months.
  • 2006-07-08 – His participation at the National Senior and University Championships continues, always on the podium with several silver and bronze medals. 2008 is one of the worst moments in his sports career when a technical decision leaves him out from the Europeans of Tallin, in spite of thinking the retirement, a few months later he achieves the silver medal at the World University Championship and get the place again in the National team for participating at the World Championship of Tokyo in kata team category.
  • 2009-10 – These years, Damian performs good finals at the National Championship and Spanish Cup, achieving three silver medals, while he wins the European University Championship and silver medal again at the World University Championship. With the team, both years he achieves two silver medals at the European Championship and the bronze medal at the Worlds in Belgrade.
  • 2011 – After 7 years… Damian becomes Champion of Spain again. Selected for the Europeans in individual and team category, he achieves the silver medal in both categories. Also he wins his first gold medal in the Spanish Cup. Personally, he graduates as Aeronautical Engineer by the Polytechnic University of Madrid.
  • 2012 – Damian loses the final at the Nationals again and therefore he doesn’t attend to the European Championship individually. With the team he achieves the silver medal again. A few months later he reaches to the final of the World University Championship again, in this case he proclaims World Champion, and he is selected to participate at the World Championship of Paris, where an illness keeps him away from his usual competition level. Personally, Damian finishes a Master degree specialized in Composite Materials.
  • 2013 – Maybe the best year so far. Damian achieves a “European Double”, that is, he proclaims European Champion individual and team. At the national level, he wins again the gold medal in the Spanish Cup. It starts his participation in the Karate1 Premier League. He just participates in two of the 8 events, Netherlands (gold medal) and Frankfurt, ending the year at the 6th place of ranking.
  • 2014 – “Historic” year. Damian reaches again to the European final, but this time he has to conform the silver medal in individual kata. With the team he takes the gold medal again, but the most important thing of the year was that for the first time at the Spanish Karate History, it proclaims World Champion. This milestone brings him to receive the Bronze Medal of the Royal Sports Merit Order awarded by the National State. At the Karate1 Premier League he finishes in 2nd place of the ranking after participating to 4 events (Paris, Holland, Frankfurt, Salzburg) achieving two silver medals and two bronze medals.
  • 2015 – The year begins for Damian at the 3rd place in the WKF Ranking. After participating in the first events of the Karate1 Premier League, Paris and Dutch Open, with silver medal and gold medal respectively, he achieves to win for the third time in a row the Spanish Championship. On this way one of the important moments in the season, the European Championship of Istanbul, where Damian achieves an other “European Double” with two gold medals, but what is more important the qualifying for the 1st European Games. European Games that are held on May where Damian reaches to the victory getting the first gold medal for the Spanish expedition, and obviously for the Spanish Karate. After the intensive start of year, Damian keeps going participating at the Ibero-American Championship of Nicaragua (gold medal), as several events of the Karate1 Premier League, Brazil Open, German Open, Austrian Open, Okinawa Open, what makes him as ‘Grand Winner’ of the world tour, Karate1 Premier League 2015. Also thanks to the points earn in this events, Damian ends the year as Number 1 of the WKF World Ranking… In summary a fantastic year which he made History for Spain and Spanish Karate.