Morocco confirmed their status as major Karate powerhouse in Africa after topping the medal table of the Karate competition at the 2019 African Games. The host nation claimed a total of 14 medals including nine golds as the thrilling Karate tournament of the 2019 African Games concluded in Rabat.
Sanae Agalmam won the first crown for Morocco and claimed back-to-back continental and African Games titles after prevailing in Female Kata. The promising Rabat-native defeated Egypt’s Sarah Sayed with a score of 26.36 in her “Gankaku” kata while Sayed received 25.88 points.
The Moroccan delegation claimed all the titles in Individual Kata since Mohammed El Hanni extended team-mate Sanae Agalmam’s triumph as he got the crown in Male Kata. Mohammed El Hanni beat Egypt’s Ahmed Shawky in the final. The local hero took a score of 26.92 points in his “Gojushiho Sho” kata for 26.12 points for the Egyptian representative.
The successful performance of local karatekas continued in Kumite categories; the first final of the combat divisions also ended on Moroccan’s hands. Aicha Sayah surprised favorite Radwa Sayed of Egypt and won the crown in Female Kumite -50kg with a 4-0 triumph in the final.
The third title for Morocco was taken by Abderrahmane Eddaqaq in Male Kumite -67kg. The young karateka defeated Faical Bouakal of Algeria in the final and won one more gold medal for hosts. Team-mate Nisrine Brouk followed suit and continued her surprising performances at home. The up-and-coming karateka who had only one appearance in major international events under her belt before the African Games had made waves with her victory over favorite Lamya Matoub in semi-finals. In the final, the young competitor maintained the high level and upset front-runner Feryal Abdelaziz of Egypt. The Moroccan athlete won the title with a slim 1-0 victory.
Local fan favorite Achraf Ouchen confirmed his star status and claimed the last gold medal for hosts in individual categories. The 2016 World Championships runner-up won the title in Male Kumite +84kg after beating Hocine Daikhi of Algeria by a sensational 10-2 in the final thus becoming one of the most outstanding highlights of the day.
Morocco completed their fantastic performance at home with the titles in Female Team Kata, Male Team Kata, and Female Team Kumite.
Source: www.wkf.net
