After the K1 Berlin last week (September 14-16), the karatekas met in Santiago, Chile, for the series A (September 21-23). This competition, a notch below the K1, allows to score less points for the Olympic race, but offers a chance for the karatekas ranked out of the top 100 to climb the ladder. However, the headliners were at the rendezvous.
By Florian Fournier / Photo : KPhotos
-60kg: First success for Aboeitta
In an unprecedented final between Egypt’s Aboeitta and Japan’s Kajihara, Karime Aboeitta gleans his first victory on the circuit. (3-1). To complete the podium, two Turkish fghters, Kaya and Samdan, who could have been in the final.
- Aboeitta (Egy)
- Kajihara (Jap)
- Kaya (Tur) and Samdan (Tur)
-67kg: Almasatfa in gold
The 2018 Asian champion, Jordania’s Almasatfa won his first SerieA with a success over Brazil’s Figueira in the final (3-3). This category of -67 kg seems more than ever open.
1.Almasatfa (Jor)
- Figueira (Bra)
- Ozer (Tur) and Xenos (Gre)
-75kg : Nishimura takes the lead
In bronze in Berlin, Ken Nishimura wins this competition. In the final, he easily disposed of Alnajjar (3-0). Without Rafael Aghayev (injured), but with Horuna (beaten in the first round by Denmark’s Viberg, 1-0), Noah Bitsch or Eltemur, competition was not lacking. Behind the Azerbaijani champion, Ken Nishimura is the favorite and undisputed leader in this category.
- Nishimura (Jap)
- Alnajjar (Jor)
- Scott (Usa) and Harspataki (Hon)
-84kg: Aktas has Abdesselem
Registered with his club of Arles, Frenchman Farouk Abdesselem reached the final but had to bow against Turkey’s Ugur Aktas (1-0). Third of the last European championships, Aktas is among the potential qualified for the Olympics. In a category dominated by Araga, the remaining three places are still accessible to a large number of athletes.
1.Aktas (Tur)
- Abdesselem (Fra)
- Ahmed (Egy) and Ramirez (Gua)
+84kg : Horne coince
Sans Ganjzadeh, Jonathan Horne avait la possibilité de remporter cette sérieA de Santiago. Arrivé en finale, l’Allemand coince contre le Turc Kaptan (2-2) et se contente de la médaille d’argent, ce qui lui permet de marquer de nouveaux points.
Jonathan Horne had the opportunity to win this seriesA de Santiago. Qualified in the final, the German chmpion stuck against Turkey’s Kaptan (2-2) and got silver, which allows him to score new points.
1.Kaptan (Tur)
- Horne (All)
- Perez (Arg) and Yamanoglu (Tur)
Femmes
-50kg: Ozcelik wins again
Already victorious in Berlin, Turkey's Serap Ozcelik wins a second straight competition by defeating Japan's Kobayashi 1-0 in the final. Note that, on this series A, Ozcelik scored 10 points against 0.
1.Ozcelik (Tur)
- Kobayachi (Jap)
- Ubrich (Ger) and Tang (HK)
-55kg : Terliuga wins again too
Comme Ozcelik, l’Ukrainienne Anzhelika Terliuga réalise le doublé Berlin-Santiago. En finale, la championne d’Europe dispose 3-0 de la Turque Tuba Yakan. Une saison parfaite pour l’Ukrainienne qui s’annonce comme la favorite de la catégorie.
Like Ozcelik, Ukraine’s Anzhelika Terliuga achieves the double Berlin-Santiago. In the final, the European champion beat Turkey’s Tuba Yakan, 3-0. A perfect season for the Ukrainian champion who places herself as the favorite of the category.
1.Terliuga (Ukr)
- Yakan (Tur)
- Kumizaki (Bra) and Khamsi (Tha)
-61kg : Heurtault wins points
Finalist last week in Berlin, Leila Heurtault of France confirms her great form by winning this seriesA of Santiago. In the final, she won 2-0 against Canada’s Haya Jumaa. With this gold medal, the French settles as one of the bosses of the category. Alexandra Grande, winner in Berlin, is beaten by Mayumi Someya, then defeated by Leila Heurtault in the semifinals.
1.Heurtault (Fra)
- Jumaa (Can)
- Iwato (Jap) and Haag (Swe)
-68kg : Gongong, premiere
Dans une finale surprise entre l’Ukrainienne Melnyk et la Chinoise Gongong, c’est cette dernière qui remporte la première grande compétition de sa carrière. Malgré un 0-0, Gongong gagne aux drapeaux. Sûrement fatiguées de Berlin (ou du décalage horaire), les favorites Someya et Zaretska ont quitté la compétition dès le deuxième tour.
In a unexpected final between Ukraine’s Melnyk and China’s Gongong, it is the latter who wins the first major competition of her career (decision). Surely tired of Berlin (or with the jet lag), the favorites Someya and Zaretska left the competition in the second round.
1.Gongong (Chi)
- Melnyk (Ukr)
- Panetsidou (Gre) and Martinez (Cub)
+68kg : Hocaoglu beats Saito
Dans une finale cadenassée, c’est la Turque Meltem Hocaoglu qui s’impose aux drapeaux contre la Japonaise Saito (0-0). Sans la présence de la patronne Ayumi Uekusa, Hocaoglu en a profité pour remporter un titre, ce qui ne sera pas chose facile cette saison quand la Japonaise championne du monde sera alignée.
In a padlocked final, Turkey’s Meltem Hocaoglu wins at the decision against Japan’s Saito (0-0). Without the presence of the boss Ayumi Uekusa, Hocaoglu took the opportunity to win a title, which will not be easy this season when the Japanese world champion will be in.
1.Hocaoglu (Tur)
- Saito (Jap)
- Stephasko (Ukr) and Keinanen (Fin)
Kata : Moto et Sanchez confirm their rank
The weeks follow and are not alike for Japan’s Moto and Spain’s Quintero. Facing last week for the bronze medal (questionable victory of Quintero, 3-2), the Japanese technician took his revenge. Opposed in the quarter-finals in Santiago, Moto crushed Quintero 5-0. On his way to the final, Kazumasa Moto, in the absence of Kiyuna, won 4-1 in the final against the powerful and athletic Turkey’s Emre Gotkas.
1.Moto (Jap)
- Gotkas (Tur)
- Kikuchi (Jap) and Quintero (Spa)
On the women's side, Sandra Jaime Sanchez, beaten last week by Shimizu in the K1 final of Berlin, wins this Serie A of Santiago in the absence of the two-time world champion. Opposed to another Japanese technician, Ono, the Spanish champion won 3-2.
1.Sanchez (Spa)
- Ono (Jap)
- Ugai (Jap) and Lau (HK)
Team Kata
Male : 1. Turkey 2. Spain 3. WKF3 and Italy
Female : 1. Spain 2. Turkey 3. Italy and WKF3
