Istanbul Aydin University from Turkiye emerged as the standout performer in the Karate competition of the 2024 European University Games held in Debrecen-Miskolc, Hungary.
The Turkish representative topped the medal table of the Karate event with a total of eight medals, including four golds. The University of Pristina in Kosovo, Azerbaijan Sport Academy, and Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary also delivered notable performances.
The biggest university sports event on the continent, the 2024 European University Games brought together 4,500 athletes to compete across 17 sports. In the karate competition, nearly 300 young athletes from 24 countries representing 30 universities showcased their skills and determination.
In Female Team Kumite, the University of Pristina from Kosovo clinched the title by defeating Istanbul Aydin University of Turkiye in a thrilling final.
Top-ranked Istanbul Aydin University of Turkiye nonetheless showcased their expertise by overcoming Gazi University of Turkiye to win gold in the Male Kata Team category.
Petru Comanescu from Bucharest University of Economic Studies in Romania triumphed in Male Kata over Vladimir Mjac of Adriatic University Bar in Montenegro to secure first place.
The University of Porto in Portugal emerged victorious in the Female Kata Team, defeating the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom.
Another representative of Portugal, Natacha Fernandes from the University of Lisbon in Portugal, took the gold in Female Kata, besting Maria Carolina Gabriel of the University of Porto.
Bozovic Danilo from St Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje in North Macedonia beat Tomas Kosa from Comenius University in Slovakia to claim the top spot in Male Kumite +84kg while Farid Savadov from Azerbaijan Sport Academy emerged victorious over Laszlo Kiss Andras from Corvinius University of Budapest in Hungary in Male Kumite -60kg.
David Enrique Nichols-Izaguirre of Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary triumphed over Istvan Beres Botond of Budapest Business University in the all-local final of Male Kumite -67kg.
Petar Zaborski from St Kliment Ohridski University of Bitola in North Macedonia defeated Tim Steiner from Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University Stuttgart in Germany in Male Kumite -75kg, as Nikola Malovic from the University of Montenegro secured the gold by beating Hamza Turulja from the University of Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina in Male Kumite -84kg.
As for the Male Team Kumite division, Istanbul Aydin University of Turkiye once again showed their dominance by defeating Azerbaijan Sport Academy.
In the Female Kumite categories, Theodosia Giamouki from the University of Cyprus claimed victory over Fortesa Orana from the University of Pristina in Kosovo in Female Kumite +68kg, while in Female Kumite -50kg, Dicle Beyazit from Istanbul Aydin University of Turkiye secured gold, defeating Irene Kontou from the University of Cyprus.
Another representative of Istanbul Aydin University of Turkiye, Gulsah Uyumaz triumphed over Bianka Szodorai of Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary in Female Kumite -55kg.
Jasmine Pomeroy from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom won gold in Female Kumite -61kg by defeating Mar Trenado Martinez from the University of Granada in Spain, while Madeleine Schroeter from the University of Jena in Germany took gold in Female Kumite -68kg, beating Vlera Qerimi from the University of Pristina in Kosovo.
The karate competition at the 2024 European University Games showcased the exceptional talent and dedication of young athletes from across Europe. Istanbul Aydin University’s dominant performance, along with strong showings from other universities, highlighted the high level of competition and sporting spirit at the event.
