2023-10-31 15:00:13
Karate-WM
Written by Rainer Ackermann
Host Hungary won one gold and one silver at the Karate World Championships in Budapest’s Papp Arena.
Association president János Mészáros described the tournament as a complete success in every respect. Olívia Kákosy was able to defend her kata world championship title in para-karate (category K21), Gábor Hárspataki only lost by a narrow margin to his Egyptian rival in the kumite final (-75 kg) due to a wrong decision by the referees.
Vice-European champion Hárspataki, who had already won bronze at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, countered the Egyptian at the last second with a three-point technique (head hit with his fist), but the video check showed that the technique was actually 0.02 seconds later The end of the three-minute fight and therefore a late success.
The women’s kumite team achieved an outstanding 5th place and narrowly missed out on bronze, Botond Nagy took 7th place with his kata.
Almost 1,150 karateka from 112 nations registered for the Budapest World Championships. The eliminations began last Tuesday and the official opening took place on Friday in front of several thousand spectators. They experienced exciting medal decisions at the weekend and, to the great joy of the home fans, two Hungarian medals. The World Cup also commemorated the 50th anniversary of Bruce Lee’s death.
On his way to the final, Gábor Hárspataki defeated six opponents.
#medals #sports #arena