Grand Winners Ingrida Suchankova and Elena Quirici, and Karate Star Thomas Scott were among the heroes taking the spotlight at the second day of action of the Karate 1-Premier League in Dubai. The thrilling route to finals featured on Saturday in the Emirate city was also marked by shocking results.

Grand Winners Ingrida Suchankova and Elena Quirici, and Karate Star Thomas Scott were among the heroes taking the spotlight at the second day of action of the Karate 1-Premier League in Dubai. Saturday's thrilling route to finals in Dubai was also marked by shocking results.

The final of Male Kumite -75kg will be one of the highlights of the last day of competition in the Emirate city. Two of the most skilled athletes of today’s Karate will clash for gold in an anticipated and spectacular bout. Karate Star Thomas Scott made it to his second consecutive final in Karate 1-Premier League this season after his silver in Rotterdam following a firm performance over the tatami.

The captain of Team USA will fight for gold against one of the most renowned competitors, Italy’s Luigi Busa. The 2016 World Championships bronze medallist - who defeated Scott in the bout for bronze in Linz - reaches his first final in Karate 1-Premier League in over a year and aims at his fourth gold medal in the first-class series of international competitions.

Time for Grand Winners to shine

Two 2016 Grand Winners caused a sensation in women’s categories. Ingrida Suchankova of Slovakia qualified for the last day of competition for the first time this season as the 2016 World Championships bronze medallist defeated rivals in the Female Kumite -61kg category in the quest to her fourth gold in Karate 1-Premier League. The other spot at the tatami in the final will be taken by also bronze medallist in Linz Anita Serogina of Ukraine, who has never won gold in Karate 1-Premier League.

Also aiming for her first gold medal in Karate 1-Premier League, Grand Winner Elena Quirici demonstrated top form in Dubai and reached her first final in over a year in the Female Kumite -68kg category. The defending European Champion will clash against Azerbaijan’s Iryna Zaretska. The current EKF Junior, Cadet and U21 champion from Azerbaijan reaches her second consecutive final in Karate 1-Premier League after her victory in Rotterdam and hopes to defeat the continental title-holder in a bout for the domination of the category.

Ryutaro Araga’s first defeat in nearly two years

One of the most shocking moments in day 2 in Dubai happened when top favourite and defending World Champion Ryutaro Araga of Japan failed to make it to the last day of competition. The Japanese Karate Star had earned two gold medals in the two first events of Karate 1-Premier League this year, and had always claimed victories in all his appearances in international competitions since his last defeat in Karate1 Premier League – Salzburg in November 2015.

The surprising final of the Male Kumite -84 kg category will then have Russia’s Ilya Granovesov and Croatia’s Ivan Kvesic of Croatia as contenders. The Croatian karateka has not reached the final day of international events in over two years, while the promising Russian athlete won silver in Karate 1-Premier League Paris this year.

Young karatekas making their mark

The rest of the categories at stake on Saturday were characterized by the impact of young athletes who took their share of the spotlight at the event by reaching the final day of competition. In Female Kumite Kumite -55kg, 22 year-old Valeria Finashkina of Russia aims at her first gold in Karate 1-Premier League against Iran’s Fatemeh Chalaki who also has never reached the top of the podium at the event. 

Meanwhile, 25 year-old Sajad Ganjzadeh of Iran completed the successful day of the Iranian delegation after qualifying for the final of Male Kumite 84+ kg in the quest for his second gold medal this season. Gogita Arkania of Georgia, who was World champion in 2014, improves his performance after his bronze in Rotterdam and hopes to earn his first gold medal in Karate 1-Premier League in more than three years.

Showcasing a remarkable dominance on the Female Kumite +68kg category, 24 year-old Ayumi Uekusa of Japan stated her condition of defending World champion and reached the final of Karate 1-Premier League for the second time in a row this season following her victory in Rotterdam. The top Japanese karateka will have as rival 21 year-old Aleksandra Stubleva of Bulgaria who reaches the final of the tournament for the first time.

Finals and bronze medal bouts will be held on Sunday. The last day of the event will be streamed live on Karateworld.tv.

About Karate World TV Channel 

The Karate World TV Channel gives fans around the world a front row seat to view all the Karate 1- Premier League events. By signing to the Karate World TV Channel, Karate fans will receive all the excitement of the 2017 Karate 1-Premier League in HD, including all five tournaments LIVE, On-demand event replays, Video On Demand and Exclusive Content. 

Sign up for the Karate World TV Channel HERE

About Karate 1 – Premier League 

The Karate1-Premier League- is the most important league event in the world of Karate. It comprises of a number of the most prominent Karate competitions, with the cities of Paris (France), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Dubai (UAE), Rabat (Morocco) and Halle/Leipzig (Germany) acting as the stops of this year’s edition.

The Karate 1-Premier League will also be one of the key elements in the road to the Olympic qualification since the points to be allocated in Karate 1-Premier League tournaments will play an essential role in the configuration of the World ranking.