First-class karatekas and Grand Winners head the Karate 1-Premier League standings after two events. Once that the second stop of Karate’s top international series of events finished this past weekend in Dubai, the race to dominate the standings of the Karate 1-Premier League is fiercer than ever. 

First-class karatekas and Grand Winners head the standings of the Karate 1-Premier League after two events. Once that the second stop of Karate’s top international series of events finished this past weekend in Dubai, the race to dominate the standings of the Karate 1-Premier League is fiercer than ever. 

The Karate 1-Premier League standings designate the Grand Winners at the end of the season. The Grand Winners award recognises the best competitors of the year in Karate’s first-class international tournaments and gives karatekas the opportunity to wear the special karate-gi with the golden embroidery on the shoulders. 

TWO GOLDS FOR SERAP OZCELIK, STEVEN DACOSTA, RYO KIYUNA AND GWENDOLINE PHILIPPE

Top Karatekas are showing their excellent form by taking the leadership of the 12 categories after two events. That is the case of Serap Ozcelik of Turkey. The current Grand Winner is performing at an outstanding level after claiming gold in Paris and Dubai. Ozcelik heads the standings in Female Kumite -50kg with an impressive 960 points difference over second-placed Reem Ahmed Salama of Egypt. 

The same level of excellence has been shown by France’s Gwendoline Philippe. The defending Grand Winner is using her status as one of Karate’s most promising athletes; at only 22 years old the young karateka has reached the top of the podium in both Paris and Dubai events. Philippe heads the standings in Female Kumite -61kg followed by Giana Lotfy of Egypt.  

Also with two gold medals and also demonstrating sensational level, Steven Dacosta of France is proving that his title in the last World Championships was well-deserved. The 21-year-old karateka has won gold in the two events of the season and leads the category of Male Kumite -67kg with 660 points over Didar Amirali of Kazakhstan. 

The list of karatekas who have taken two golds in Karate 1-Premier League is completed with Ryo Kiyuna of Japan in Male Kata. The three-time World champion and current Grand Winner has dominated the category of choreographed movements with victories in Paris and Dubai and leads the standings followed by Spain’s Damian Quintero. 

By nations, powerhouses of Japan and France are showing their prevalence with three karatekas taking the top places of the standings respectively: Ryo Kiyuna, Ken Nishimura and Ayumi Uekusa for the birth nation of the sport, and Gwendoline Philippe, Steven Dacosta and Medhi Filali for the European nation. Turkish karatekas with two representatives on top (Serap Ozcelik and Ugur Aktas) are also showing a great level in the first events of the season. 

These are the leaders of the 12 categories of the Karate 1-Premier League standings after two events: 

FEMALE KATA: Sandra Sanchez (ESP)
FEMALE KUMITE -50KG: Serap Ozcelik (TUR)
FEMALE KUMITE -55KG: Anzhelika Terliuga (UKR)
FEMALE KUMITE -61KG: Gwendoline Philippe (FRA)
FEMALE KUMITE -68KG: Feryal Abdelaziz (EGY)
FEMALE KUMITE +68KG: Ayumi Uekusa (JPN)
MALE KATA: Ryo Kiyuna (JPN)
MALE KUMITE -60KG: Darkhan Assadilov (KAZ)
MALE KUMITE -67KG: Steven Dacosta (FRA)
MALE KUMITE -75KG: Ken Nishimura (JPN)
MALE KUMITE -84KG: Ugur Aktas (TUR)
MALE KUMITE +84KG: Mehdi Filali (FRA)