(Photo WKF)
Japan’s Ria Hori and Portugal’s Vasco Mateus clinched the kata titles at the Karate 1-Youth League in Venice.
Ria Hori delivered a precise kata to defeat Türkiye’s Simay Aydin with scores of 24.9 to 24.1. Hori’s control and stance work made the difference.
Portugal earned another gold through Vasco Mateus, who won the all-Portuguese final against Martim Oliveira 25.30 to 24.20. Mateus’ rhythm and balance carried him to the title.
France’s Koume Lee-Lou edged out Türkiye’s Defne Eda Yildirim in a fast women’s kumite -48kg match that ended 6–5. Lee-Lou kept a narrow lead in the final moments to secure the gold.
Portugal’s Leonor Goncalves claimed the women’s -53kg title with a composed 5–3 win over Italy’s Bianca Capone. Goncalves controlled the distance well and closed out the fight without allowing a late comeback.
Ukraine’s Tetiana Meleshko won a tactical women’s kumite -59kg final, defeating Croatia’s Katja Braica 2–0. Meleshko scored and defended confidently to keep the match under control.
Italy’s Elisa Cattaneo delivered one of the most dominant performances of the day in the women’s -66kg. She defeated France’s Sara Saidane 8–0 with precise attacks that dominated the bout from beginning to end.
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Ajlin Kurtanović overcame Italy’s Vittoria Pia Palumbo 3–1 for the women’s +66kg title. Kurtanović found her rhythm early and managed the exchanges well to secure gold.
Ukraine celebrated another title as Maksym Viechkanov beat Montenegro’s Branko Lazovic 5–0 in the men’s kumite -55kg. Viechkanov was sharp from the start and never let the match open up.
Czech Republic’s Filip Horňák earned a tight 3–2 win in the men’s kumite -61kg final against Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Ismail Didic. Horňák held firm in the final moments to preserve his narrow lead.
Türkiye’s Kagan Aslan took the men’s kumite -68kg title after a strong 7–2 victory over Hong Kong China’s Tsz Pui Lam. Aslan pressed forward throughout the match, scoring repeatedly with clean techniques.
The United States’ Logan Mendonça secured a 3–1 win in the men’s -76kg final against Ukraine’s Oleksandr Beznosov. Mendonça’s timing on counterattacks proved decisive.
Italy’s Francesco Ferrarini closed his day with a tight 1–0 win in the men’s +76kg final over Ukraine’s Vladyslav Rudenko. A single, well-placed “Yuko” was enough for Ferrarini to claim the gold.
