Karate Star Antonio Diaz cemented once more his status as one of the greatest Karate athletes of all times after claiming his ninth consecutive continental title and 14th crown overall in the 2016 Karate Pan American Championships being held in Rio de Janeiro.

Karate Star Antonio Diaz cemented his status as one of the greatest Karate athletes of his generation after claiming his ninth consecutive continental title and 14th overall crown in the 2016 Karate Pan American Championships being held in Rio de Janeiro. The Venezuelan hero’s outstanding victory represented one big highlight of a first day of competition that produced plenty of big surprises.

Mexican Karatekas are leading the action in the 2016 Karate Pan American Championships after the inaugural day, as representatives of the North American country top the podium of the event thus far with six medals. Merilella Arreola in Female Kumite -61kg and Jessica Paola Padilla in Female Kumite -68kg led the way for their country’s success by claiming gold in two categories that registered all-Mexican finals.

However, the big star of the first day of the event was Venezuela’s Antonio Diaz. The 35-years old Karateka gained the status of legend of the sport with his triumph in Rio de Janeiro. In the quest to his ninth consecutive Pan American crown, the Caracas-born Kata King showed a remarkable domination in the competition, and beat fellow countrymen Cleiver Casanova in the final. The gold medal in Rio de Janeiro is the 14th overall title and the second crown this year after the gold in Karate 1-Premier League in Salzburg for the Shito-ryo star.



Day of surprises

Some of the aspirants to shine in Rio de Janeiro suffered shocking defeats and proved how difficulty it is to succeed in first-class international competitions such as the Pan American championships.

Local hopeful Wellington Barbosa had to settle with the silver medal after losing the final of Male Kumite +84kg against Chile’s Rodrigo Rojas. Meanwhile, young upcoming Brazilian hero Hernani Verissimo achieved his first triumph in major international competition following his surprising victory in Male Kumite -75kg. The 21-years old athlete upset Karate Star Thomas Scott in semifinals and beat Venezuela’s Alexander Rafael Nicastro Ochoa in the final to earn the first gold medal for the host country.

The Female Kata competition was a repetition of the final of the 2015 edition of the continental championships. Team USA Sakura Kokumai met in the title-deciding clash with Maria Dimitrova from the Dominican Republic, just as it happened in the competition celebrated last year in Toronto. The same result persisted and the Hawaii-born Karateka claimed her fourth gold medal in Pan American championships increasing her tally after her victories in 2015, 2013 and 2012.

The action continues in Rio de Janeiro on Friday with the thrilling second day of competition.

Click here for more information on the 2016 Karate Pan American championships.

Follow the action of Pan American Karate Championships on WKF Social Media. Karate fans are invited to participate in the excitement using the hashtag #KarateRio2016.