Small but quick. Focused and determined.

And disciplined. Very determined.

Sensei Chuzo Kotaka saw greatness when Shannon Nishi first walked into his International Karate Federation dojo at the Kahala YMCA. She had begged her parents to take karate after falling in love with the martial art through Bruce Lee movies.

"You could tell from the beginning she could win," Kotaka said. "I thought she would go to the highest competition."

It was 20 years ago that Nishi first bowed to Kotaka.

She was 6.

Last month, Nishi left for Guadalajara, Mexico, as a member of the U.S. Pan American team. She returned to Hawaii as a gold medalist in kumite, the sparring form of karate.

Kotaka, who established the International Karate Federation in Honolulu in 1966, was not surprised.

"I told her before she left that she would win," said Kotaka, the 1962 All-Japan karate champion. "She is good all-around, good footwork, very quick. No, I was not surprised."

Neither were her sparring partner Eimi Kurita, another rising star in the sport, nor Nishi’s fiancé Kenny Patton, a former All-WAC cornerback at the University of Hawaii.

"I expected she would win," the 22-year-old Kurita said. "She had been training really hard.

"She is such a natural athlete. What makes her good? She has a strong mental attitude and is so athletic. I’m hoping to follow her."

Kurita did not make the Pan American team but hopes to make the U.S. team at next year’s World Championships in Paris.

Patton thinks Nishi can be there as well. He has been working with his fiancée for more than four years, a regimen developed through his speed and quickness training at Patton Sports Performance.

"It’s all her, she’s done all the work," said Patton, who is planning for a December 2012 wedding after the World Championships. "Nobody deserves the success as much as she does.

"She’s overcome so much with her (knee) injuries. She’s put her life on hold because she’s so passionate about the sport. She can and should be a world champion."

Greatness hasn’t come without obstacles or pain. Nishi, a former four-sport athlete at Mid-Pacific Institute, has had four ACL surgeries.

It kept her out of serious karate competition for three years. But Nishi returned to win two junior titles in 2004 and won gold at the U.S. Open (2006), the latter title while she was on the UH women’s basketball team.

"Karate and basketball are totally different worlds," said Nishi, a three-time world champion in team kumite. "I got to go from a contact sport to this. I love the balance, from team to individual.

"I loved being on the court with my teammates, but I love being on the mat when it’s just you and your opponent."

Nishi said that going to Guadalajara was the "coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of. You are treated as a professional from the beginning. Being part of Team USA was amazing.

"I like all forms of karate, but I have focused on kumite in my adult years. It’s all about athleticism. It’s all on you. The only regret is it isn’t in the Olympics. But if it ever is, even if I’m 40, I would try to come back."

Last month, Nishi went undefeated at 55 kg, going 3-0 in her pool and defeating favored Valeria Kumizaki of Brazil, the 2007 Pan Am silver medalist, in the semifinal. She then outlasted Karina Diaz of the Dominican Republic 1-0 in overtime.

With Paris in her sights, Nishi is one of the featured fighters at Saturday’s 52nd All-Hawaii Karate and Honolulu International Championships at Manoa Valley District Park Gym 2.

"I am always learning," said Nishi, who is finishing her master’s degree in family resources and counseling. "I am always growing. I hope to open my own dojo.

"I would recommend the sport to anyone. It’s a foundation for life, it teaches you character, to not give up. It’s all about discipline and self-respect."

The dojo has produced national and international champions, including Kotaka’s son George, Maile Chinen and Elisa Au. The legacy continues with Nishi.