FILIPINO-Japanese karateka Junna V. Tsukii bagged the gold medal in the women’s kumite -50kg event of the 2021 Karate1 Premier League on Sunday night in Cairo, Egypt.
Ms. Tsukii, 29, topped hometown bet Areeg Rashed, 2-1, in the finals to win her division in the tournament held from Sept. 3 to 5.
She notched the title with a timely punch with six seconds left in the bout.
It was the third gold medal this year for her, in addition to those she won in the Golden Belt Tournament in Serbia last March and the Karate1 Premier League leg in Lisbon last May.
On the way to winning the Cairo title, Ms. Tsukii defeated Austria’s Aleksandra Grujic, Venezuela’s Yorgelis Salazar, and Egypt’s Reem Ahmed Salama before reaching the finals.
Ms. Tsukii won a gold medal at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. She tried to make it to the recent Tokyo Olympics, but was not able to qualify.
The top karateka is steadily competing internationally and is currently seventh in her division in the rankings of the World Karate Federation.
OBIENA TIED FOR SECOND
Meanwhile, Filipino pole-vaulter and Olympian Ernest John U. Obiena finished joint second in the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Level Series in Poland on Sunday.
Mr. Obiena, 25, cleared 5.80 meters, tied with KC Lightfoot of the United States. He cleared the height in two tries.
American Chris Nilsen won the event after clearing 5.86m.
It was another podium finish for Mr. Obiena, the number five pole-vaulter in the world, after the second place finish he had in the Paris leg of the Diamond League late last month. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
