The 2019 European Karate Championships take place in Guadalajara (Spain) this week and the anticipated event will not only crown the new kings and queens of European Karate. It will also determine the top powerhouse nation of the sport on the continent. Hosts of Spain will try to use the home-ground factor in their favour. 

The 2019 European Karate Championships take place in Guadalajara (Spain) this week and the anticipated event will not only crown the new kings and queens of European Karate. It will also determine the top powerhouse nation of the sport on the continent. Hosts of Spain will try to use the home-ground factor in their favour. 

“I am very thrilled to compete in Guadalajara because, in fact, I won my first Spanish Championships here. It was in 2015, and it was when it all started for me. From that moment on, the doors of the international stage opened for me,” said Spain's Sandra Sanchez. 

World Ranking leader Sandra Sanchez became the big star of the last major Karate event organised in Spain. In the World Championships in Madrid, and in front of a supporting crowd, the Spanish Kata queen claimed the World crown after defeating shocking Kiyou Shimizu of Japan in a memorable final. 

“My coach Jesús (del Moral) told me that I had to try to use all the energy that I received from the stands; I just wanted to put all the support I was receiving on my performance on the tatami,” said Sandra Sanchez after taking the title in Madrid. 

The last time that Sanchez competed in a major international event in the host city of the 2019 European Championships, the WKF World Ranking leader from Spain settled with the bronze medal after finishing third in the 2018 Karate 1-Series A Guadalajara. Previously, the 37-year-old karateka won gold in the 2017 Karate 1-Series A in Toledo. 

“Guadalajara has always been very special to me and I hope it is here where I can win my fifth continental title,” added Sanchez. 

SUPPORT FROM THE STANDS TO REACH FINALS

“We are looking forward to seeing the stands of Pabellon Multiusos sports hall filling up. We can’t wait to compete in front of our audience because we know that we will receive all the strength and all the energy from them. Hopefully, they will help us to reach the final,” said Spain’s Damian Quintero.  

The 34-year-old karateka will also catch the attention of fans as the Spanish Kata ace aims at taking his fifth consecutive continental crown. The second-placed in WKF World ranking leader will try to use the support from the stands in the highly-contested Male Kata category. 

Quintero already knows what it is like to succeed at home. In the World Championships in Madrid, Quintero gave local fans plenty of reasons to celebrate after claiming the silver medal. In the 2018 Karate 1-Series A in Guadalajara Quintero ended in the second place while the Spanish Karate Star prevailed in the 2017 Karate 1-Series A Toledo. 

In addition to Quintero and Sanchez, the host country has its hopes in an optimistic delegation with front-runners in most of the categories. Spaniards hope to maintain the continental title in Male Kata, while current European Championships medallists Laura Palacio in Female Kumite +68kg, the Female Kata team and the Male Kumite Team will try to remain in the podium.   

In Para-Karate, the hopes of the host country will be centred in the athletes who took medals in the last World Championships in Madrid such as Francisco Jose Lozano in Blind/Visually Impaired male; Antonio Gutierrez, Victor Manuel Prieto and Carlos Huertas in Intellectually Impaired male, and Isabel Fernandez in Wheelchair user Female among others.   

Spaniards topped the medal table of the last edition of the event which was held in Novi Sad (Serbia) after taking six medals including three golds. Turkey and Italy also registered deserving performances in Novi Sad with ten medals each. However, in the 2017 EKF Championships, it was Turkey taking the first position of the medal table with ten medals and four golds, followed by Italy and Spain. The powerhouse nations in the continent will thus be clashing for the domination of European Karate this week in Guadalajara.  

The medal bouts of the 2019 EKF Karate Championships will be streamed LIVE on karateworld.tv.