A host of Grand Winners and Karate heroes will fight for gold together with promising talents of powerhouse Turkey at the Karate 1-Premier League starting in Istanbul next week. The event marks the fifth Karate 1-Premier League tournament of the season and the reappearance of Turkey as host of the first-class series of Karate international competitions. 

A host of Grand Winners and Karate heroes will fight for gold together with promising talents of powerhouse Turkey at the Karate 1-Premier League starting in Istanbul next week. The event marks the fifth Karate 1-Premier League tournament of the season and the reappearance of Turkey as host of the first-class series of Karate international competitions. 

No less than eight defending Grand Winners have confirmed their participation at the 2018 Karate 1-Premier League Istanbul. The list of current winners of the “Best of the best" award includes Grand Winner and home heroine Serap Ozcelik. The Turkish star will try to use the support from the stands in her favour to succeed at home and confirm her status as one of the most beloved Turkish competitors. Ozcelik, who has won three medals in Karate 1-Premier League this year and who became European Champion barely two weeks ago hopes to extend her successful season so to continue leading the WKF World ranking in Female Kumite -50kg. 

With Serap Ozcelik heading the representation of the host country, no less than 35 Turkish karatekas will participate in the event. Among the up-and-coming Turkish karatekas fighting at home, Eray Samdan will try to keep on surprising in Karate 1-Premier League. The 20-year-old competitor has won gold medals in Rotterdam and Dubai thus fast becoming one of the dazzling stars of the event this year. Dilara Eltemur and Ali Sofuoglu in Kata, and newly-proclaimed European champion Burak Uygur will be among the Turkish karatekas defending the hosts’ honours at home. 

THRILLING KATA COMPETITION 

Much of the attention of the tournament will be posed in the Kata categories. The competition in the category of choreographed movements will see a confrontation of Grand Winners, world champions and local hopefuls. Grand Winners Sandra Sanchez and Damian Quintero of Spain will try to increase their outstanding count of medals this season as Sanchez aims at her seventh medal in seven events this year, while Quintero has taken awards in all his five international appearances of the season.

Both Grand Winners will star in an anticipated confrontation against World champions Ryo Kiyuna and Kiyou Shimizu of Japan. The two Japanese world-title holders return to Karate’s top international competition after being absent in Rotterdam and Rabat thus hoping to take the spotlight again in Istanbul. 

KARATE HEROES CLASHING FOR GOLD

The rest of the Male Kumite categories are defined by intense rivalries marking the competition. In Male Kumite -75kg, Grand Winner Stanislav Horuna of Ukraine aims at his second medal this year, with eleventh-time European champion Rafael Aghayev of Azerbaijan also among the favourites. 

The female Kumite competition will also see one of the top competitors returning to action as Grand Winner and World champion Ayumi Uekusa of Japan goes back to business after missing the event in Rabat. Azerbaijan’s Irina Zaretska is also registered to compete following her silver medal in her debut this season in Rabat, while Anzhelika Terliuga of Ukraine will wear the Grand Winner karate-gi in hopes to win her second medal this year. 

World champions Alisa Buchinger of Austria, Amir Mehdizadeh of Iran and Jordan Thomas of England complete the list of world title-holders in Istanbul. 

Istanbul hosted a Karate 1-Premier League event for the last time in 2016, as the Turkish city welcomed a Karate 1-Series A event last year. In 2016, nearly 500 competitors from 54 countries took part in the competition. For the tournament to be held next week from June 8 to 10, 607 karatekas from 63 countries are registered to participate. 

LIVE ON KARATEWORLD.TV

The final day of action of the Karate 1-Premier League Istanbul will be broadcast to a worldwide viewing audience on many TV Networks around the world and on KARATEWORLD.TV.

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