The 2017 GRAND WINNER in the Male Kata category is DAMIAN QUINTERO. The Spanish Kata ace won his third consecutive Grand Winner award thus confirming his status of one of the biggest stars of Karate.

The 2017 GRAND WINNER of the Male Kata category is DAMIAN QUINTERO. The Spanish Kata ace won his third consecutive Grand Winner award thus confirming his status as one of the biggest stars of Karate.

“I feel very honoured for receiving this award for the third time. The Grand Winner award recognises consistency, and in my case, it comes as a result of the hard work throughout the year,” said the Kata hero. “I became Grand Winner in 2015, and I managed to win it again last year, and this season, as hard as it has been, I could get it again”, he added.

The Spanish Karate Star is not only a champion inside the tatami but a fan favourite outside the court. He is one of the greatest exponents of the kindness and sportsmanship prevailing in international karate; it is easy to spot him interacting with Karate enthusiasts and offering support to teammates and adversaries alike.

“KINGTERO” RULES KATA COMPETITION

In addition to being one of the main representatives of the traditional Karate values in high-level competition, the athlete nicknamed “Kingtero” (get it?) is characterised by his resilience and hard-working spirit. His ability to overcome difficult situations has been clearly stated this year.

The World Ranking leader reached the first event of the season as World Championships runner-up, but despite getting to the event as frontrunner, the 33-year-old karate suffered a surprising early elimination in the Karate 1-Premier League in Paris. The disappointment in Paris did not push Quintero away from his goals, and the seven-time Karate 1-Premier League gold medallist worked hard to come back and win silver one month later in Rotterdam.

Two golds, in the European Championships and at home in the Karate 1-Series A in Toledo, together with the silver medal at The World Games complete the outstanding season for the Kata king.

“Even though the year did not have a very good start and end for me (with early eliminations in Paris and Halle/Leipzig) it has been a very good year all things considered”, stated the 2014 World champion in Team Kata.

“In this first year of Karate as an Olympic sport, my main goal was to succeed at the European Championships, and I could win gold there. The second objective was The World Games and I got silver, so I am very happy of how things have been going. To finish the year as World ranking leader and to be Grand Winner are even bigger rewards for me,” said Quintero who was born in Buenos Aires (Argentina) before moving with his family to southern Spain.

The seven-time European champion took a leave of absence in his job as an aeronautic engineer to make his Olympic dreams come true. “I will always have time to be an engineer”, as he usually put it, thus showing his commitment to succeed in the Olympic quest.

As the Karate world gets ready to experience a thrilling race towards Tokyo 2020, the three-time Grand Winner Damian Quintero is set to continue writing new bright chapters in the history of the Kata competition in international Karate.

Want to know more about Damian Quintero? Watch the episode of WKF's "Get to know" series featuring the Spanish ace CLICKING HERE.