Day three of the 2024 EKF Senior Championships in Zadar, Croatia, put the spotlight on Team Kumite and Para-Karate competitions, with finalists decided in several categories. This crucial day was especially remarkable in Team Kumite divisions as it helped determine the European representatives for the World Team Championships in Pamplona later this year. Here’s a breakdown of the day’s events.
Male Team Kumite: Greece and Italy Reach Final
In the Male Team Kumite competition, Greece and Italy emerged as finalists after closely contested matches. Greece edged out Slovakia 3-2, while Italy overcame Turkiye by the same score.
Italy are the current World Championships bronze medallists, while Greece last won a medal in this category in 2022 when they took bronze.
Female Team Kumite: Italy to Face Germany for Gold
In the Female Team Kumite, Italy and Germany will face off in the final. Italy defeated Croatia 2-0 to secure their spot, while Germany beat France 2-1.
Italy enters as the current European bronze medallist, while Germany is the reigning titleholder in this category.
Fighting for bronze, and most likely qualifying for Pamplona 2025 are the teams of Turkiye vs Croatia and Greece vs France, in Female Team Kumite, and Ukraine vs Turkiye and France vs Slovakia in Female Team Kumite.
Italy celebrated their qualification to the final
Para-Karate: Bronze Medals Awarded Across Multiple Categories
In a showcase of the outstanding effects of Karate in people with impairments, and the tremendous power of will of the Para-Karate athletes, the Para-Karate events also took centre stage on day three, with bronze medals awarded across several categories. The results are as follows:
– Blind/Visually Impaired Female K10: Veronika Kamenska of the Czech Republic and Karmen Vask of Estonia took bronze.
– Blind/Visually Impaired Male K10: Francisco Jose Lozano of Spain and Alexe Dorin of Romania earned bronze.
– Intellectually Impaired Female K21: Elise Reedijk of the Netherlands and Federica Yakymashko of Italy claimed bronze.
– Intellectually Impaired Female K22: Andrea Patkai of Hungary and Diandra Bekcic of Slovenia received bronze.
– Intellectually Impaired Male K21: Mike Richter of Germany and Antonio Pereira of Portugal were awarded bronze.
– Intellectually Impaired Male K22: Victor Manuel Prieto of Spain and Jordan Fonteney of France secured bronze.
– Wheelchair User Female K30: Helen Morrisey-Marsh of England and Virginie Boyer of France took bronze.
– Wheelchair User Male K30: Valerio Di Cocco of Italy and Berkay Uslu of Turkiye received bronze.
These results demonstrate the inclusive nature of Karate, providing a platform for athletes with varying abilities to compete at the highest level. The achievements in Para-Karate underscore the diversity and commitment to excellence within the karate community.
Day three set the stage for a thrilling conclusion to the EKF Senior Championships in Zadar. With team kumite and para-karate finalists, anticipation is building for the upcoming matches and ceremonies.
The medal bouts of #KarateZadar2024 are available LIVE on the WKF YouTube channel. The live broadcast of the bronze medals starts on Saturday at 9.30 (GMT +1) with the first session of gold medals scheduled for 12.00 (GMT +1). The second session of bronze medals starts at 15.30 (GMT +1) and the gold medals are slated for 18.00 (GMT +1)
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