The defending Grand Winners showed power in the second day of competition of the Karate 1-Premier League Dubai. Damian Quintero, Xiaoyan Yin, and Ayumi Uekusa all prevailed to take their golden karate-gis to the finals of the second event of the season of Karate’s flagship event.  

The defending Grand Winners showed power in the second day of competition of the Karate 1-Premier League Dubai. Damian Quintero, Xiaoyan Yin, and Ayumi Uekusa all prevailed to take their golden karate-gis to the finals of the second stop of the season of Karate’s flagship event.  

After taking two medals in the two big events this year – a bronze in Paris and a silver in Guadalajara – Grand Winner Damian Quintero put a master display of Kata abilities to reach the final in Dubai. The European champion dominated the pool by winning all his bouts by 5-0 and defeated Turkey’s Ali Sofuoglu by 4-1 in semi-finals. It will be Quintero’s third final in Dubai after taking gold in the last two editions of the tournament in the Emirate city. 

“I am very glad that I could make it to the final. I just want to be on the tatami tomorrow and I want to enjoy being in the final. Then we will see what happens next,” said Quintero who prevailed in the 2017 and 2016 editions of the Karate 1-Premier League Dubai. 

“It would be my third gold min Dubai but it will be very difficult as I have to face (world champion) Ryo Kiyuna. There is nothing impossible in this life but I just want to give my 100%. I just want to make a good kata and the rest is not in my hands”, added the Karate Star. 

The final of Male Kata competition will be a repetition of the title-deciding bout of the last World Championships. The showdown of two different Kata styles is set to dazzle fans as the world title-holder and winner of Karate 1-Premier League Paris Ryo Kiyuna faces World Championships silver medallist and main challenger Quintero in a bout to decide both the top of the podium in Dubai and the dominance in Kata category. 

Japan’s Kata hero Kiyuna qualified for the final after winning all his bouts by 5-0. It will be Kiyuna’s 15th final in international competitions as the two-time world champion has not lost a bout in major events since November 2013. 

GRAND WINNERS RULE FEMALE KUMITE  

It was also Grand Winners’ time to shine in Female Kumite -61kg and in Female Kumite +68kg. China’s Xiaoyan Yin used her Grand Winner status and demonstrated top form to qualify for the final of the tournament in the -61kg category. The 24-year-old Chinese star presented an impressive performance to rule the pool with a tally of 16-3 in three bouts, and then beat USA’s Joane Orbon 3-1 to reach the final. Xiaoyan Yin aims at her second gold in Karate 1-Premier League this season after her victory in Paris. 

The Grand Winner from China will clash in the final against Serbia’s Jovana Prekovic. The current European champion hopes to win gold in her first appearance this season and following her victory in the closing event of last season in Okinawa.   

Meanwhile, in the +68kg category, the current Grand Winner also showcased great level to make it to the final. Japan’s Ayumi Uekusa came back from her early elimination in Paris and went back to her winning ways in Dubai. The Japanese Grand Winner had gathered a one-year winning streak that came to an abrupt end with her elimination in the first round in Paris. In Dubai, the current world champion prevailed in the pool with a tally of 7-4 in three bouts, and edged Spain’s Maria Torres 1-0 to get into the final. 

The title-deciding bout of the category is set to be another of the highlights of the tournament. The world champion from Japan will clash against the defending European champion Anne Laure Florentin of France. The two-time continental title-holder presented efficiency throughout the competition and edged Iran’s Mohadaseh Aghaei 1-0 to reach the final. 

Egypt’s Ahmed Elmasry against Iran’s Ali Fadakar in Male Kumite -84kg, France’s Alizee Agier against Halyna Melnyk of Ukraine in Female Kumite -68kg, and Turkey’s Enes Erkan against Belarus’ Andrei Grinevich in Male Kumite +84kg complete the list of finalists in day 2 of the thrilling #Karate1Dubai. 

The final day of action will be broadcast to a worldwide viewing audience on many TV Networks around the world and on KARATEWORLD.TV.

For a full list of TV Networks and countries CLICK HERE and select your country to see where you can watch the Karate 1-Premier League in Dubai.

CLICK HERE to go to KarateWorld.TV.