Sofia Cardenas and Louiza Abouriche take gold in Female Kumite on Day 1 of Karate at World Combat Games
10/20/2023
Multisport events
Surprises took over the Female Kumite categories on day 1 of the Karate competition at the 2023 World Combat Games. Sofia Cardenas of Colombia and Louiza Abouriche were the stars of the day.
Sofia Cardenas of Colombia produced the big upset of the day as the young Colombian karateka defeated top favourite Cylia Ouikene of Algeria in the final of Female Kumite -50kg.
The promising karateka from Colombia started strong with a “Yuko” or one-point technique. In a cross-point action, both karatekas got a “Yuko” thus putting the scoreboard 2-1 with Cardenas in the lead with one minute to go. With the clock running in her favour, Cardenas scored one more “Yuko” and completed her victory 3-1.
Sofia Cardenas is the current PKF Senior and U21 champion and won gold at the Karate 1-Series A Larnaca this year.
Meanwhile, Louiza Abouriche of Algeria avenged her team-mate’s defeat in the previous bout and took the crown in Female Kumite -55kg. The Algerian karateka was the frontrunner of the category and used her leading status to claim the gold medal over Kazakhstan’s Bella Samaseva in a tight clash.
The bout went scoreless until the last seconds of the encounter when Abouriche connected a “Yuko” with 0.15 seconds on the clock. Another late “Yuko” extended the favourite's lead. Abouriche maintained her prevalence to end up winning the match 2-0.
Louiza Abouriche is one of the most promising karatekas of the division since she is a two-time Senior continental silver medallist and current U21 World champion. She also has won the Karate 1-Youth League Fujairah this year and the silver medal at the UFAK Senior Championships.
Follow the updates on the WKF social media channels. Alternatively, you can watch the event LIVE HERE.
All the results can be followed in real-time on the official website HERE.