A full list of the best Karate athletes in the world will be gathering this weekend in Hamburg for the ninth tournament of the Karate 1-Premier League. As the season of the first-class international Karate competition approaches its end and as the 2016 Karate World Championships are nearly one month away, top Karatekas around the world will meet in Hamburg in a showcase of high-class Karate with much at stake.

A full list of the best Karate athletes in the world will be gathering this weekend in Hamburg for the ninth tournament of the Karate 1-Premier League. As the season of the first-class international Karate competition approaches its end and as the 2016 Karate World Championships are nearly one month away, top Karatekas around the world will meet in Hamburg in a showcase of high-class Karate with much at stake.

The line-up of Karate Stars to compete this weekend in the Karate 1-Premier League in Hamburg is impressive, with current world champions and world ranking leaders fighting for gold in the German city. 

Top rivalries in Female categories 

Alexandra Recchia of France headlines the Female Kumite -50kg category, and aims at her third gold medal in Karate 1-Premier League this season following her victories in the tournaments of Rotterdam and Paris. The French European champion will be one of the many top athletes to compete in Female category, in an anticipated quest to become the big star of the tournament. Italy’s Sara Cardin will also try to shine in Hamburg in her quest to her first gold medal in Karate 1-Premier League this year. Valeria Kumizaki of Brazil and Emilie Thouy of France among others will be some of the top rivals of the Italian World and European champion.

World champion Giana Lotfy acts as leading name in Women's competition, as the Egyptian Karate Star seeks her third gold medal in Female Kumite -61 kg category this season after her triumphs in the events of Dubai and Sharm El-Sheikh. Meanwhile, the Female Kumite -68 kg category will be thrilling, with two-time 2016 Karate 1-Premier League gold medallist Vassiliki Panetsidou of Greece and World champion Alizee Agier of France as top contenders among others.

Ayumi Uekusa of Japan leads the large representation of Japanese competitors in Hamburg, and she will try to extend her tally of medals in Karate 1-Premier League this season following her gold in Salzburg.

Karate Stars set to shine in Male categories

The Male Kata category will present competitors to likely star in the forthcoming World Championships. Three-time 2016 Karate 1-Premier League gold medallist and defending European champion Damian Quintero of Spain will clash against Pan American and World champion Antonio Diaz in one of the most anticipated confrontations of the tournament.

Fresh off his victory in Karate 1-Premier League in Fortaleza last weekend, Douglas Brose of Brazil sets his eyes to the World Championships by fighting for gold in the Male Kumite -60 Kg category in Hamburg. The Male Kumite -75kg will present a thrilling race to the top of the podium since the top headliners of the category will participate in Hamburg. Superstar Rafael Aghayev meets Turkey’s Erman Eltemur after their surprising clash in Istanbul, while Italy’s Luigi Brusa and Thomas Scott of USA will also aim for gold in the category.

In Male Kumite 84+ Kg, Enes Erkan of Turkey defends his condition of current World champion and hopes to continue the success of the gold medal claimed in Karate 1-Premier League in Istanbul. The winner in the event Fortaleza last weekend Rodrigo Rojas of Chile and local hero Jonathan Horne top the list of candidates in this category.

A record-breaking tally of 1164 participants from 72 countries are registered to participate in the anticipated Karate 1-Premier League in Hamburg this weekend. The host country presents the largest delegation with 114 competitors who will try to delight the home crowd. Jasmin Bleul in Kata, Noah Bitsch in Male Kumite -84 Kg and Jonathan Horne in Male Kumite 84+ Kg among others spearhead locals’ hopes in the tournament.

Click here for more information on the Karate 1-Premier League in Hamburg.