August 13, 2026 8:04 am
Business, Camas, Life, Sports 
Malia Cropper takes a break at Cropper Martial Arts and Fitness in Camas with her 2025 KSDI World Championship belt July 14. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)
A sign welcomes visitors to Cropper Martial Arts and Fitness in Camas on July 14. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)
Malia Cropper takes a break at Cropper Martial Arts and Fitness in Camas on July 14. Cropper is preparing to open a martial arts school in Camas as she prepares to defend her title this fall in Puerto Rico. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)
Malia Cropper takes a break at Cropper Martial Arts and Fitness in Camas on July 14. Just months after winning a gold medal at the World Martial Arts Games in Oslo, Norway, Cropper is preparing to open a martial arts school in Camas as she prepares to defend her title this fall in Puerto Rico. (Photos by Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)
A motorist passes by Cropper Martial Arts and Fitness on July 14. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)
Just months after winning a gold medal at the World Martial Arts Games in Oslo, Norway, Malia Cropper — seen at Cropper Martial Arts and Fitness on July 14 — is preparing to open a martial arts school in Camas. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)
Malia Cropper didn’t expect to win gold at the World Martial Arts Games. She credited her coach, Desmond Diaz, for helping her achieve the milestone. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)
Camas resident Malia Cropper poses for a photo with her gold medal during the 2025 World Martial Arts Games in Oslo, Norway, in November. (Contributed by Desmond Diaz)
Malia Cropper’s martial arts journey began before she was old enough to train.
The daughter of two martial arts instructors, she spent much of her childhood inside the Rick Cropper Martial Arts Center in Portland, where she absorbed the discipline, structure and respect that would shape her life.
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