Egyptian karatekas topped the medal table of the 2019 UFAK Karate Championships which were held this past week in Gaborone (Botswana). The representatives of the African powerhouse nations of the sport dominated the event as the new kings and queens of African Karate were crowned.
Giana Lotfy became one of the biggest stars of the event since the Egyptian outstanding karateka claimed her third continental title thus paving the way to the success of Egyptian athletes at the event. The two-time World champion demonstrated a sensational level and extended her domination of the category of Female Kumite -61kg following a tight victory over Chaima Midi of Algeria in the final.
Also taking the spotlight of the event and also instrumental to Egypt’s prevalence in the competition, Ali Elsawy took his second consecutive continental title. The two-time African champion showcased his authority in Male Kumite -67kg and edged Cameroon’s Jean Marc Kollo Ndzomo in the final by ‘Hantei’ or decision. Additionally, Ali Elsawy contributed to Egypt’s gold medal in Male Team Kumite together with team-mates Abdelmonen Elsawy, Magdy Mamdouh Hanafy, Omar Hegazy, Abdallah Mamduh Abdelaziz, Mohamed Ramadan and Taha Tarek Mahmoud.
The fourth gold for Egypt was in fact claimed by Taha Tarek Mahmoud who also finished the event with two top awards. The Egyptian representative prevailed in Male Kumite +84kg following a 3-0 victory over Hocine Daikhi of Algeria in the final.
The superiority of Morocco in Kata was so established at the event that the representatives of the powerhouse nation of the sport claimed all four gold medals at stake. In one of the highlights of the tournament, Sanae Agalmam confirmed her raising star status after dethroning current champion Sarah Sayed of Egypt in a thrilling final. The young Moroccan karateka who took silver last year excelled in her presentation of “Gankaku” kata and took a score of 25.48 for 25.08 of former title-holder Sarah Sayed.
Source: www.wkf.net
