The second day of the 2026 EKF Senior Championships in Frankfurt continued the excitement of Europe’s top karate event. The competition gathers the best karate athletes on the continent and on day 2 delivered plenty of surprises, close contests and breakthrough performances as finalists were decided in six categories.
Male Team Kata: Italy vs Turkiye
Italy and Turkiye will clash for gold in Male Team Kata after dominant semifinal performances. Italy defeated Germany 7-0 with a confident display, while Turkiye edged Spain 4-3 in one of the tightest team contests of the day.
The final promises high-level action between two of Europe’s strongest kata nations.
Female Team Kata: Portugal vs Italy
Portugal reached the Female Team Kata final after overpowering France 7-0 in the semifinals. Italy also showed strong form by defeating Spain 5-2 to secure another final appearance for the country on Day 2.
The gold medal match between Portugal and Italy is expected to be one of the highlights of the championships as both teams chase the continental crown.
Male Kumite -67kg: Luca Maresca vs Younesse Salmi
Italy’s Luca Maresca returned to a continental final after defeating Georgios Baliotis of Greece 7-5 in an intense semifinal. The experienced Italian athlete, who won the European title in Male Kumite -60kg in 2015, will now seek his first continental crown at -67kg. His best result in the division so far had been a title in the Karate One Premier League competition.
France’s Younesse Salmi secured his first senior continental final with a 6-3 victory over Iurik Ogannisian of EKF-1. The French athlete claimed the U21 European title in 2020 and arrives at the biggest final of his career after previously earning silver at a Karate One Series A event.
Female Kumite -55kg: Madina Sadigova vs Zumra Rezzan Im
Madina Sadigova of Azerbaijan advanced to her first continental final after edging Nejra Sipovic of Bosnia and Herzegovina 5-4 in one of the closest bouts of the day. The Azerbaijani athlete already owns a European bronze medal and now moves one step away from her first senior title.
Turkiye’s Zumra Rezzan Im booked her place in the final with a narrow 4-3 win over Ukraine’s Anzhelika Terliuga. Zumra Rezzan Im aims at her first crown following the title she achieved at the 2025 Karate One Series A Salzburg.
Male Kumite -60kg: Aleksandar Vuckovic vs Christos-Stefanos Xenos
In Male Kumite -60kg, Serbia’s Aleksandar Vuckovic reached the final in his first international event. Vuckovic made it to the last round after defeating Akhmed Akhmedov of EKF-1 in the semifinals.
Greece’s Christos-Stefanos Xenos will join him in the gold medal match after beating Georgia’s Tsotne Sordia 2-1. Xenos entered the event as one of the favourites after winning the 2024 European title and earning bronze at the World Championships.
Female Kumite -50kg: Teodora Tsaneva vs Ema Sgardelli
Bulgaria’s Teodora Tsaneva continued her remarkable run by defeating Elizaveta Grigoreva of EKF-1 7-4 to reach the first senior international final of her career. Tsaneva had never won a medal in senior international competition before this event, with her best previous result being a U21 European silver medal in 2025.
Croatia’s Ema Sgardelli advanced with a solid 3-0 victory over France’s Tiphaine Bonnarde. The Croatian star is now aiming for a third consecutive European title after winning the last two editions of the championships.
The day also saw the first rounds of Male and Female Team Kumite competition taking place, as the finalists will be confirmed on Friday.
The competition continues on Friday with day 3 of the tournament. The medal days of the event (Saturday and Sunday) will be available LIVE on the WKF YouTube channel
