World Championships Senior

Preview Linz 2016: All eyes on Giana Lotfy in Female Kumite -61kg

2016-10-23

Preview Linz 2016: All eyes on Giana Lotfy in Female Kumite -61kg

Few athletes in Karate – or in any other discipline – can boast about showcasing such a domination in the sport as Giana Lotfy. The Egyptian Karate Star has not lost a bout in two years and present an impressive streak of victories that has taken the mighty competitor to reach the top of the podium in all her last seven appearances in major international competitions.

Few athletes in today's Karate can showcase such a domination in the sport as Giana Lotfy. The Egyptian Karate Star has not lost a bout in two years and presents an impressive streak of victories that has taken the mighty competitor to reach the top of the podium in all her last seven appearances in major international competitions, thus demonstrating an unparalled superiority in the category.

The notorious date when Giana Lotfy lost a bout for the last time was October 2014 during the Mediterranean Games. In the event held in Montenegro, Lotfy was defeated in the final and claimed silver, her second upset following her crowning as World Cadet, Junior and U21 champion a year earlier. After that moment, in which fellow Egyptian Nada Khamis Dagher beat defending UFAK champion Lofty, gold medals have kept following for the Egyptian star, including her triumph in the 2014 World Championships. Now in Linz, Giana Lotfy is top favourite to continue her impressive run in the thrilling 2016 edition of the biggest Karate competition.

Many top competitors aim at dethroning Lotfy. As main contender and world ranking leader, France’s Lucie Ignace appears as main candidate to claim the crown of the category in Linz. The current European champion has earned two golds in four tournaments this year and arrive in the Austrian city with the intention of causing a sensation while recovering the world title earned four years ago. The 23-year old born in La Reunion island already showed her abilities in her impressive participation in the European Championships at Montpellier, when the 2012 world champion defeated Turkey’s Merve Coban in the final.

Defending Bronze medallist Mayumi Someya of Japan hopes to climb one step further in the final podium after finishing third in Bremen, while top placed in the world ranking Ingrida Suchankova of Slovakia and Ana Lenard of Croatia, among others will try to take their chances in Linz. 

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

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