With seven medals including two golds, Yakan Tuba (-55 kg) and Eltemur (-75 kg), Turkey is ahead of France and its four medals including two golds (Garcia in +68 kg and Garin in -67 kg) and Morocco (2 medals) at the 28th Mediterranean Games held on June 23th-24th in Tarragona (Spain). All the results.
By Ludovic Mauchien / Photos : K-photos
2nd nation at the European Championships last May behind Spain, Turkey was one of the five nations, along with Egypt, France, Italy and Spain, to present a full team at the Mediterranean Games whose Karate events were held last weekend (June 23th-24th). But it was the only one to line up an almost main team.
Logically, it dominated these Med 'Games with 7 medals won out of 10 possible. Yakan Tuba (-55 kg), beat Italy’s Sara Cardin in the second round (1-0) and then Spain’s Fernandez Osorio (2-0), before defeating Macedonia’s Draskovic in the final (2-0). On his side, Eltemur (-75 kg) was hardly opposed, if not in the final against Croatia’s Garibovic (0-0, decision). The (bad) surprises came from the two-times European champion Burak Uygur (-67 kg) who lost in the final against France’s Marvin Garin (5-0) and Serap Ozcelik (-50 kg).
Only France was closed to Turkey by winning 4 medals including 2 golds. Marvin Garin who, in addition to Uygur, beat Italy’s Maresca in the semi-finals (2-1), and Nancy Garcia (+68 kg) who dominated Spain's Palacio Gonzalez in the semi-finals (3-1) and then Greece’s Chatziliadou in the final (4-3).
Morocco, thanks to the victory of Ameknassi in -60 kg (who, among others, beat Turkey’s Samdan) and the silver medal of Sayah in -50 kg (winner of Turkey’s Ozcelik in ¼ finals), completes the podium’s nations.
Spain is at the forefront of disappointments. At home, with a very solid team, the Spanish fighters have not managed to reach a single final and must be content with 3 bronze medals and a 14th place in the ranking.
But Egypt is chasing it. Led by the double World champion Lofty (-61 kg), it failed to win a single title and finally ranked 9th despite 5 medals (2 silver, 3 bronze).
All the podiums
-50 kg
1 MILIVOJCEVIC (Ser)
2 SAYAH (Mor)
3 RASHED (Egy) and OZCELIK (Tur)
-55 kg
1 YAKAN TUBA (Tur)
2 DRASKOVIC (Mon)
3 CARDIN (Ita) and OUIHADDADENE (Fra)
-61 kg
1 RISTIC (Slv)
2 LOTFY (Egy)
3 FERRER GARCIA (Spa) and LALLO VIOLA (Ita)
-68 kg
1 SEMERARO (Ita)
2 ELTEMUR (Tur)
3 RAKOVIC (Mne) and PUSNIK (Slv)
+68 kg
1 GARCIA (Fra)
2 CHATZILIADOU (Gre)
3 HOCAOGLU (Tur) and PALACIO GONZALEZ (Spa)
-60 kg
1 AMEKNASSI (Mor)
2 AZZOAUZI (Tun)
3 SAMDAN (Tur) and SALAMA (Egy)
-67 kg
1 GARIN (Fra)
2 UYGUR (Tur)
3 ENNKHAILI (Spa) and KELEBIKJ (Mac)
-75 kg
1 ELTEMUR (Tur)
2 GARIBOVIC (Cro)
3 BOUABAOUB (Alg) and JENDOUBI (Ita)
-84 kg
1 JAKUPI (Mac)
2 J. DA COSTA (Fra)
3 ELMASRY (Egy) and MARTINA (Ita)
+84 kg
1 DAIKHI (Alg)
2 ELASFAR (Egy)
3 BITEVIC (Ser) and ARSOVSKI (Mac)
Countries
1.Turkey (2 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze)
2.France (2, 1, 1)
3.Morocco (1, 1, 0)
4.Italy (1, 0, 4)
5.Macedonia (1, 0, 2)
6.Slovenia, Serbia, Algeria (1, 0, 1)
9.Egypt (0, 2, 3)
10.Montenegro (0, 1, 1)
