The final day of the 2026\u00a0Karate One Premier League Rome delivered top\u2011level competition with several new champions crowned together with seasoned campaigners. Grand Winners Grace Lau Mo Sheung, Yugo Kozaki, Kakeru Nishiyama, Elena Quirici\u00a0 were among the standout performances of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Female Kata \u2013 Mo Sheung Grace Lau Dominates<\/strong> Lau reflected on her win: \u201cI am very happy that I won here. Ever since I saw the medals, which are very beautiful, I thought \u2018I want the gold one\u2019 so for me it is great that I took this medal. I worked hard to be the Grand Winner, and I set my mind to be the Grand Winner again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Men\u2019s Kumite -60\u202fkg \u2013 Akhmed Akhmedov Breaks Through<\/strong> On his victory, Akhmedov said: \u201cIt is the first time that I have won a Premier League and that made me very happy.\u201d His breakthrough performance could signal a rising star in the lighter male divisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Women\u2019s Kumite -50\u202fkg \u2013 Yorgelis Salazar Returns to the Top<\/strong> This gold medal marks a remarkable comeback after a serious injury last year. Salazar reflected on her journey: \u201cThe fact that I am here, after all that I have went through and after all I have suffered to overcome the injury means that everything is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Men\u2019s Kumite -67\u202fkg \u2013 Yugo Kozaki Claims Gold<\/strong> \u201cI am very happy with this gold. I am the Grand Winner now, but the next step is to become the world champion,\u201d Kozaki said, showing his ambition and focus for the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Women\u2019s Kumite -55\u202fkg \u2013 Nejra Sipovic Causes a Local Upset<\/strong> \u201cI want to dedicate this gold to my family, my parents, my coach, my team and all those who made it possible that I am here today.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Men\u2019s Kumite -75\u202fkg \u2013 Heorhii Pitsul Wins Tight Battle<\/strong> \u201cI have imagined this moment for so many years. I imagined myself on top of the podium, and that moment finally arrived. For me, it is a big blessing to be here with this medal,\u201d he said, visibly moved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Male Kata – Kakeru Nishiyama Extends His Dynasty<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kakeru Nishiyama of Japan confirmed once again that he is the dominant force in male kata. He defeated Ariel Torres Gutierrez of the United States by 6\u20131 in the final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The victory marks Nishiyama\u2019s 14th consecutive gold medal, an extraordinary run that continues to define the category. Already the current Grand Winner, Nishiyama delivered another precise and powerful performance to extend his remarkable domination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Female Kumite -61 Kg – Sarara Shimada Claims Gold<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sarara Shimada of Japan won the gold medal in the Female Kumite -61 kg category after defeating Assel Kanay of Kazakhstan 3\u20133 by Hantei, the judges\u2019 decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bout was balanced throughout, with both athletes scoring key points. In the end, the referees awarded the victory to Shimada. The win marks her fourth gold medal in the Premier League and improves on her bronze medal performance in Istanbul earlier in the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Male Kumite -84 Kg – Matteo Fiore Triumphs at Home<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The loudest celebration of the day came in the Male Kumite -84 kg final as Matteo Fiore of Italy defeated Eduard Gasparian of WKF-1 9\u20138 in one of the most thrilling bouts of the tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both fighters exchanged points constantly in a fast and intense match. Fiore managed to take the decisive lead in the final moments to secure the victory. The gold medal is his first in the Karate One Premier League, after losing two finals in the past. The Italian athlete celebrated in front of a packed arena that supported him throughout the fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fiore said: \u201cTo win at home is an incredible feeling. It was a beautiful moment, and I am happy that I had my friends and family in the stands to support me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Female Kumite -68 Kg – Elena Quirici Returns to the Top<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Elena Quirici of Switzerland captured the gold medal in the Female Kumite -68 kg division with a 2\u20131 victory over Thalya Sombe of France, the current world champion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quirici controlled the match with smart tactics and strong defence. The victory gives the Swiss athlete her first title of the year, achieved in her first final of the season. Quirici is also the current Grand Winner of the category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quirici said: \u201cI am very happy and I am very emotional because this is my first gold medal since my engagement so it is a very special moment for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Male Kumite +84 Kg – Andjelo Kvesic Dominates<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the Male Kumite +84 kg category, Andjelo Kvesic of Croatia defeated Elhassan Mohamed of Egypt 5\u20131 to claim the gold medal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kvesic, the current European Championships runner-up, controlled the match with strong attacks and solid defence. The victory represents his second gold medal in the Karate One Premier League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kvesic said: \u201cIt is a proud moment for me, and I am very happy because this is only my second gold medal in Karate One Premier League. The first one was in Antalya in 2024 and now here in Rome. It is very special to win the medal here, in the city of the coliseum, the gladiators.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Female Kumite +68 Kg – Sofya Berultseva Continues Her Winning Run<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sofya Berultseva of Kazakhstan won the gold medal in Female Kumite +68 kg after defeating Rochelle Walters of England 2\u20131.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The match was close and tactical, but Berultseva managed to secure the key point to take the victory. After winning gold in Istanbul, this is her second consecutive Karate One Premier League title, strengthening her bid to become the new Grand Winner of the category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Karate One Premier League travels to Leshan in China where the third event of the season will take place from April 10 to 12′<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The final day of the 2026\u00a0Karate One Premier League Rome delivered top\u2011level competition with several new champions crowned<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10633,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[38],"class_list":["post-10632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsbeat","tag-karate"],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/031526_k1rome_3_b.png",1904,1073,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/031526_k1rome_3_b-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/031526_k1rome_3_b-300x169.png",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/031526_k1rome_3_b-768x433.png",640,361,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/031526_k1rome_3_b-1024x577.png",640,361,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/031526_k1rome_3_b-1536x866.png",1536,866,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/031526_k1rome_3_b.png",1904,1073,false],"morenews-large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/031526_k1rome_3_b-825x575.png",825,575,true],"morenews-medium":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/031526_k1rome_3_b-590x410.png",590,410,true]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"Newsbeat<\/a>","tag_info":"Newsbeat","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/031526_k1rome_3_b.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10632"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10632\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10634,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10632\/revisions\/10634"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
In the Female Kata final, Grace Lau Mo Sheung of Hong Kong, China took a commanding 7\u20110 victory over Maho Ono of Japan. Lau performed the Chatanyara Kushanku kata with precision, grace, and power, impressing both judges and fans alike. Already a World Champion and Grand Winner, she earned her second gold of the Karate One Premier League season, adding another victory to her classic rivalry against Ono.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the Men\u2019s Kumite -60\u202fkg, Akhmed Akhmedov of WKF\u20111 displayed exceptional technique and tactical skill to defeat Hiromu Hashimoto of Japan 9\u20112. It was Akhmedov\u2019s first final in a Karate One Premier League event, but he competed like a seasoned champion as every strike was calculated, and his scoring abilities dominated the match from start to finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yorgelis Salazar of Venezuela won the Women\u2019s Kumite -50\u202fkg final with a 6\u20113 victory over Cylia Ouikene of Algeria. The bout was highlighted by a spectacular Ippon from Salazar, demonstrating her skill and experience as a six-time Karate One Premier League winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the Men\u2019s -67\u202fkg final, Yugo Kozaki of Japan claimed gold after Adel Omara of Egypt could not compete due to an injury sustained in the semifinals. Kozaki, the current Grand Winner, won his first gold of the season and added to his record of consistent top performances, including last year\u2019s Karate One Premier League in Paris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nejra Sipovic of Bosnia and Herzegovina won the Women\u2019s -55\u202fkg final by defeating Italy\u2019s Viola Lallo 3\u20110. Sipovic, who had previously earned a silver in the Karate One Series A, was competing in her first Karate One Premier League final. She defeated local hopeful Lallo and dedicated her gold to those who supported her<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Men\u2019s -75\u202fkg final was one of the closest matches of the day. Heorhii Pitsul of Ukraine and Quentin Mahauden of Belgium ended the bout tied 2\u20112, but Pitsul took gold through \u2018Senshuu,\u2019 the first unopposed point. Pitsul, a two-time Karate One Series A winner, had been preparing for this moment, and his strategy paid off in his first Karate One Premier League final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n