Nario Lopes shocks in Paris

In one of the biggest surprises on the opening day at the 2025 World Championships Qualification Tournament in Paris, 19-year-old Angolan karateka Nario Lopes produced a stunning underdog story that captured everyone’s attention.

Ranked 203rd in the world, Lopes had never competed in a World Karate Federation event outside Africa — until now.

Before Paris, Lopes’s best career result came at the 2024 U21 Continental Championships, where he won a silver medal. In senior competition, he had only one appearance, finishing seventh at the 2025 UFAK Championships in Nigeria. Few expected him to make an impact in Paris. But he did more than that — he rewrote expectations.

“I am very happy that I qualified for the World Championships and that I could do it in such a wonderful place, such as Paris,” said the smiling Angolan after his bout. “It was an experience for me. I had great expectations, and it finally became a reality here.”

Lopes started strong in the preliminary pool, defeating Tiago Duarte of Portugal and Omar Aljenaei of Kuwait, while tying against Halifa Niyitanga of Rwanda.

That run put him on top of his group and set up a qualification bout against Carlos Antonio Herrera of the Dominican Republic. In a tense, back-and-forth contest, Lopes held his nerve to edge Herrera 3-3, advancing on criteria. The result sealed his ticket to the 2025 World Championships in Cairo, an achievement few saw coming at the start of the day.

For Lopes, this was more than a sporting breakthrough — it was a dream realised. “I am happy for all those who believed in me, such as the federation, my parents, and many more,” he said. “I know that I can give my best at the World Championships. It was my best participation, and I am proud that I could do it so well.”

His performance stood out not just for its result but for the composure and determination he showed against far more experienced opponents. “I am happy for everything that has happened here, and I hope I will be able to show the world all I can do,” he added.

As the first day in Paris wrapped up, Lopes’s story was the talk of the tatami — a reminder of what perseverance and belief can achieve in sport.

“This qualification is the result of a lot of hard work, discipline, and faith,” said the emotional athlete. “Representing Angola at the World Cup is a great honour, and I will give my all to take our country even further.”

From underdog to qualifier, Nario Lopes made sure the world took notice. Next stop: Cairo.

The 2025 World Championships Qualification Tournament on Saturday saw six athletes across each of the four categories punching their tickets to Cairo after fierce, high-level contests.

France’s Sydney Yvon thrilled the home crowd with a narrow 2-1 victory against Anthi Stylianou of Cyprus to earn the ticket to Cairo 2025 in the women’s Kumite -61kg, much to the celebration of local fans.

Thi Dieu Ly Nguyen from Vietnam edged past Katarzyna Lewandowska of Poland in a scoreless bout decided by hantei (referee decision). Italy’s Aurora Graziosi dominated Huang Yu Ru of Chinese Taipei 9-1, while Emina Sipovic of Bosnia and Herzegovina impressed with a commanding 9-0 win against Jasmine Pomeroy of England.

Also, Switzerland’s Nina Radjenovic secured her spot after defeating Altana Basangova of WKF-1 by 1-0 in a tense, defensive match. Austria’s Lejla Topalovic followed suit with a composed 2-0 win over Lo Pui Cheng of Macau.

The men’s -67kg division was one of the most competitive of the day. Portugal’s Joaquim Mendes opened with a clean 3-0 victory over Pranay Sharma of India, showing sharp timing and speed. Poland’s Dominik Dziuda prevailed in one of the day’s most intense matches, edging Amir Reza Mirzaei Fashtali of the Refugee Karate Team 7-6 in a thrilling exchange of points.

Iran’s Amirreza Borzooeichaghagolani held firm to win 3-2 over Omar Chaltouni of the UAE, while Italy’s Luca Maresca relied on experience to beat Davyd Yanovskyi of Ukraine 1-0. Serbia’s Stefan Joksic controlled his match against Vukashin Jovanovich of North Macedonia, winning 2-0, and Hui Pan Cheng of Hong Kong China defeated Jed Thompson of England 4-1.

The +68kg women’s division featured power, precision, and emotion. Romania’s Maria Cristina Coman delivered one of the most dominant performances of the day, overpowering Cirrus Lingl of the USA 8-2. Belgium’s Ophelie Mulolo followed with an 8-5 win over Laleh Marzi Hananeh Salehi of Iran in a strong back-and-forth battle.

Hungary’s Dora Fleischer cruised past Valeria Echever of Ecuador 8-0, while Austria’s Lora Ziller secured her qualification with a 5-2 victory against Arika Gurung of Nepal. Sweden’s Sophie Bao Bednarski outscored Amalie Hakova of the Czech Republic 6-1, and the Netherlands’ Ingrid Creemers defeated Maryia Malakhava of WKF-2, 5-1.

In the -60kg men’s category, speed and precision defined the qualifying clashes. Saudi Arabia’s Saud Albashar impressed with a high-scoring 14-6 win over Ka Him Chau of Hong Kong China. Georgia’s Tsotne Sordia delivered a flawless 8-0 victory over Rasmus Abildgaard of Denmark.

Ukraine’s Nikita Filipov defeated Martin Drabek of the Czech Republic 2-0, while Romania’s Erhan Tornaci scored a solid 7-2 win against Eric Timmer of Switzerland. Fahik Veseli of North Macedonia qualified after a 1-1 draw with Ahmed El Amine Hellal of France, advancing on criteria. Venezuela’s Jhoisber Chataing sealed his ticket with an emotional 2-1 win over Adam Hamill of Scotland.