Up-and-coming karatekas take spotlight on day 1 of #Karate1Athens
1/13/2024
karate1
The inaugural day of the 2024 Karate 1-Series A Athens unfolded with intensity as up-and-coming karatekas from around the globe showcased their skills and secured their spots in the finals. The opening tournament of the season started with gripping encounters in various categories; raising karatekas such as Mishima Kiri of Japan, Saleh Abazari of Iran, and Thalya Sombe of France were among the finalists on day 1.
In Female Kata, the Japanese delegation asserted their dominance as Mishima Kiri and Kao Kitaguchi, both hailing from Japan, secured their places in the finals. Mishima Kiri qualified for the final after beating Raquel Roy of Spain in the semi-finals by 42.20 to 41.60 while Kao Kitaguchi made it to the final after edging Gema Morales of Spain 41.60 to 39.80.
The Male Kumite -75kg final will witness a fierce clash between Mohamed Abudabous of Libya and Heorhii Pitsul of Ukraine. Both athletes displayed exceptional skill and determination throughout the day; Abudabous reached his first international final since his silver at the 2022 Karate 1-Series A Jakarta following a slim 3-3 triumph over Petar Zaborski of North Macedonia. Pitsul, who won silver at the Karate 1-Series A Matosinhos and gold at the Karate 1-Series A Larnaca last year defeated teammate Erik Rahozenko 7-1.
In the Male Kumite +84kg category, Saleh Abazari of Iran will face off against Umut Eren Gundog of Turkiye. Abazari is the 2018 continental champion and winner of the Karate 1-Series A Matosinhos last year. The Iranian karateka edged Amir Zouaoui of France 1-0. Gundog is a first-time finalist and beat Faadel Boussag of France 3-1.
Turkiye continued to make its presence felt as Hasan Arslan secured a place in the finals of the Male Kumite -84kg category. He will be pitted against Walid Deghali of Belgium, who is the 2022 continental bronze medallist. Deghali upset Goncalo Freitas of Portugal 3-0 while Arslan dominated Janne Haubold of Germany 3-0.
The Female Kumite categories also featured captivating performances. In the -68kg division, Thalya Sombe of France will square off against Sudenur Aksoy of Turkiye. Sombe, winner of the Karate 1-Series A Matosinhos of last year defeated Wissal Ezzar of Tunisia as the Turkish representative edged Janessa Fonseca of Puerto Rico 5-4.
The Female Kumite +68kg final will be an all-Swiss affair, as Fabienne Kaufmann and Pauline Bonjour will compete for the gold. Kaufmann reached the final after Stefani Kresic of Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-0 and Bonjour beat France’s Clemence Pea 3-3 in the semi-finals.
Italy demonstrated their prowess in the Male Team Kata category, as two teams from the powerhouse nation secured the two spots in the finals.
As the Karate 1-Series A Athens progresses, new finalists will be proclaimed on day two of action.
