The Karate competition of The World Games concluded Saturday with the final day of action from Birmingham. In a thrilling showcase of the many values of the sport, new Karate heroes Anita Serogina of Ukraine, Abdalla Abdelaziz of Egypt, Silvia Semeraro of Italy, Youssef Badawy of Egypt, Sofya Berultseva of Kazakhstan, and Babacar Seck Sakho of Spain were crowned today.
ANITA SEROGINA STRIKES BACK
The final of Female Kumite -61kg was a repetition of the title-deciding bout from 2017 with both Alexandra Grande of Peru and Anita Serogina of Ukraine fighting for gold. At the event in Poland, the victory went to Peru but this time, Serogina avenged her defeat five years ago as she claimed a hard-fought victory 3-2.
Serogina was down on the scoreboard but managed to strike a final point to win her first crown of The World Games.
Anita Serogina said:
“This is my first gold medal at The World Games, I always got silver. The last time, I lost the final against Alexandra Grande so this time it was like revenge for me. She is a very hard rival, probably my strongest opponent. So, I am happy that I won, especially considering that I did it in the last second.”
“It is a big win for my country. Also, I lost my grandmother a few days ago so I want to dedicate this victory to her.”
THRILLING FINAL OF MALE KUMITE -75KG
The clash for gold in Male Kumite -75kg was a tour de force between two of the top competitors of the division. World Championships runner-up Abdalla Abdelaziz won the title after defeating The World Games defending champion Stanislav Horuna 6-3.
t is one more recognition for the rising Egyptian karateka who has three continental titles under his belt.
OLYMPIAN SILVIA SEMERARO PREVAILS IN FEMALE KUMITE -68KG
Italy’s Silvia Semeraro had finished in fifth place at the Olympics, but the current World Championships runner-up made it to the top of Female Kumite -68kg of The World Games in a contested final against Austria’s Alisa Buchinger. Semeraro showed more resilience to win the bout 4-1.
VICTORY FOR WORLD CHAMPION YOUSSEF BADAWY IN MALE KUMITE -84KG
The final of Male Kumite -84kg between Youssef Badawy of Egypt and Nabil Ech-Chaabi of Morocco was a showcase of offensive Karate. The bout ended with a tie 6-6 after a final point by Badawy. Then, the clash went to “Hantei” or decision, with the referees giving the triumph to World Champion Badawy.
The Egyptian karateka wins the double crown after claiming the World title in Dubai and now gold medal at The World Games.
Source and image: www.wkf.net
