Abdelali Jina and Ahmed Lotfy prevail in Male Kumite categories on Day 1 of Karate at World Combat Games

Abdelali Jina of Morocco confirmed the predictions and used his favourite status to win the crown of Male Kumite -60kg. The Moroccan karateka beat Sultan Alqahtani of Saudi Arabia by “Senshuu” or first scored point.

The top favourite from Morocco connected a one-point technique or “Yuko” with 1.30 on the clock to take the lead. However, Sultan Alqahtani bounced back and claimed a three-point technique or “Ippon”, as confirmed by the Video Review. Jina tried to recover the disadvantage and scored one more “Yuko”. The local star took one more “Yuko” but Jina managed to tie the match 4-4 with a “Waza-ari” or two-point technique. The Moroccan karateka got the victory by “Senshuu”.

Abdelali Jina has a full list of honours under his belt as he is the current Senior UFAK champion and two-time Karate 1-Premier League medallist. This season, he won bronze at the Karate 1-Premier League Rabat.

Meanwhile, Ahmed Lotfy of Egypt became the champion of Male Kumite -60kg after beating Huseyn Mammadli of Azerbaijan in the final.

It was a very disputed clash with the two competitors exchanging points. Lotfy took the lead with two “Yuko”, but Mammadli recovered with another “Yuko”  and a one-point technique for each after the Video Review. Lotfy managed to score a final “Yuko” and despite Mammadli’s attempts kept the lead 3-2 to win the crown.

As the current Senior Continental Championships silver medallist, Lotfy is making a name for himself in the category. The Egyptian karateka who was the Junior World Champion in 2019 also won silver at the 2022 Karate 1-Premier League Rabat.  

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All the results can be followed in real-time on the official website HERE.

2023 WORLD COMBAT GAMES