Tania Sakanaka

Dr Tania Sakanaka is a sports science academic and a Brazilian taijiquan athlete.

Early life Dr Sakanaka was born in Brazil to Hawaiian mother (Chinese/Japanese ancestry) and a Brazilian father (Japanese ancestry).

Career and research Competitive wushu Tania started training in tai chi in 1995, with Prof. Marcelo Martinelli, in the extension course offered by the Faculty of Physical Education of State University of Campinas, Brazil. A year later, she competed in the 2015 World Wushu Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia, and became the world champion in women's baguazhang.

Academic career The focus of Dr Sakana's research is biomechanics. Her masters research (2009) looked at tai chi (taijiquan) pelvic rotational movement in Yang style louxiaobu, under the supervision of Prof Xu Weijun at Beijing Sport University, China.