World Championships Senior

Preview Linz 2016: Crown up for grabs in Female Kumite -55kg

2016-10-18

Preview Linz 2016: Crown up for grabs in Female Kumite -55kg

Surprises and a thrilling open competition is set to make the Female Kumite -55kg category of the upcoming Karate World Championships one of the highlights of the event to be held in Linz in less than a week. A long list of top Karatekas are expected to star in a spectacular quest to gold in a tournament to capture instantly the attention of Karate fans around the world.

Surprises and a thrilling open competition is set to make the Female Kumite -55kg category of the upcoming Karate World Championships one of the highlights of the event to be held in Linz in less than a week. A long list of top Karatekas are expected to star in a spectacular quest to gold that will capture instantly the attention of Karate fans around the world.

World and European champion Sara Cardin acts as front-runner of the competition, and is favourite to repeat her impressive victory two years ago in Bremen. The fierce Italian Karate Star who currently tops the world ranking, caused a sensation after beating France’s Emilie Thouy so to earn the world title. The three-time European champion has claimed two medals in Karate-1 Premier League this season and hopes to extend her legend status with back-to-back world crowns in Linz.



As the defending world champion’s archirrival, Emilie Thouy of France aims at climbing a further step in the final podium in Linz after getting the silver medal two years ago. The 23 year-old Karateka, in her second participation in World championships has become one of the rising forces of the sport and presents a tally of two medals in under-age World Championships and the European title under her belt, a count that the Wado-Ryu Clichy-born fan favourite hopes to increase in Linz.

With a silver medal in World Championships and as the category's world ranking leader in 2016 Karate 1-Premier League, Malaysia’s Syakilla Salni Jefry Krishnan is also set to take the spotlight in Linz. Considered the top Malaysia’s Karateka of all times, the Klang-born ace hopes to repeat final as she did two years ago when the 2014 Asian Games champion won silver competing in Female Kumite -61 kg. As she changed categories, the 24 year-old karateka has extended her domination in today’s Karate with four medals in Karate 1-Premier League this year.

2014 World Championships bronze medallist Jana Bitsch of Germany will also be one of the names to follow in the category in Linz. The 25 year-old hopes to regain the level that allowed her to make it to the final rounds of the competition two years ago in front of her home fans. 

Yasmin Attia of Egypt who won bronze in the 2012 World Championships, together with top ranked Valeria Kumizaki of Brazil and Luxembourg’s Jennifer Warling, and World Junior, Cadet and U21 Championships medallists Elizaveta Lazareva of Russia and Cam Lanh Trang Cam Lanh of Vietnam, among others will try to shock in Linz.

Go to the World Championships section to find more information on Linz 2016. 

All the best photos and videos from on the tatamis and behind the scenes of the World Championships will be posted on the WKF’s Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram pages.