(Photo by Phonthawat Warasutthiphan /AKF)
Young karatekas from across Asia battled for continental honours, with Jordan and the United Arab Emirates among the nations celebrating multiple victories at the AKF Cadet, Junior & U21 Championships in Amman, Jordan.
U21 Kata Male
Rami Fawzi Abu Al-Haija Kareem of the United Arab Emirates claimed the U21 Male Kata title after defeating Hishamadi Muhammad Arif Hafizi of Malaysia. The UAE karateka delivered the performance needed to secure the gold medal and become the first U21 Male Kata champion of the championships.
U21 Kata Female
Malaysia added a gold medal in U21 Female Kata through Donny Ivy Olivera, who overcame Baharijavadhesari Ailin of Iran in the final. Olivera’s victory gave Malaysia its first U21 Kata title of the event.
Junior Kumite Female -48 kg
Habiba Khalil of the United Arab Emirates won the Junior Female -48 kg gold medal. She defeated Ho Cheok In of Macau, China, in the final to give the UAE another continental title on the second day.
Junior Kumite Male -61 kg
Jordan celebrated a home victory in the Junior Male -61 kg category as Mohammad Al Najjar defeated Yu-En Pao of Chinese Taipei. The result gave the host nation an important gold medal in front of the home crowd.
Junior Kumite Male -55 kg
Abdulrahman Arafat of Saudi Arabia secured the Junior Male -55 kg title after beating Gurbannazar Amandurdyev of Turkmenistan. The Saudi karateka finished the competition at the top of one of the day’s lighter male’s weight categories.
Junior Kumite Male -76 kg
Thailand claimed gold in the Junior Male -76 kg division through Patthapee Promsorn. He defeated Parham Jahanbaz of Iran in the final to add another title to Thailand’s medal tally.
Junior Kumite Female 66+ kg
Jordan secured another home victory in the Junior Female 66+ kg category. Lara Darwish defeated Saghar Jandaghi of Iran to take the gold medal and add to the host nation’s successful day.
Junior Kumite Female -53 kg
Iran earned its first Junior Kumite gold of the day with Setayesh Ghanei Fard winning the Female -53 kg category. She defeated Ramah Khayyat of Saudi Arabia in the final.
Junior Kumite Female -66 kg
Mariam Bsharat gave Palestine a gold medal in the Junior Female -66 kg division. She overcame Setayesh Afshar Asbaki of Iran to claim the continental title.
Junior Kumite Male 76+ kg
Saudi Arabia added another Junior Kumite gold when Amro Albargawi won the Male 76+ kg category. He defeated Hassan Elsheikh of Qatar in the final to become the champion.
Junior Kumite Male -68 kg
Jordan continued its strong performance on home soil with Hatem Alharasees winning the Junior Male -68 kg title. He defeated Fahad Alazemi of Kuwait in the final.
Junior Kumite Female -59 kg
The final gold medal of the day went to Jordan’s Hala Ghannam, who won the Junior Female -59 kg category after defeating Roza Rezaei of Iran.
