The best Karate athletes in the Americas will gather in Punta del Este (Uruguay) from October 21 to 24 to clash for the titles at the 34^th edition of the Pan American Karate Championships.

As the tournament could not be held last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the excitement is sky-high among Panamerican karatekas.

Over 300 competitors from 23 countries are registered to participate in the event. Chile and Brazil present the largest delegations with 31 and 30 athletes, respectively.

The competition is scheduled to start on Thursday, October 21 with the first categories at stake. Finals will be held at the end of each competition day.

CLICK HERE to find all the info about the event including the competition programme.

All the crowns are up for grabs, with some of the traditional big names of the sport in the continent being absent from the event.

Only four current champions are registered to defend their titles in Uruguay. Alessandra Vindrola of Peru in Female Kumite -55kg, Ariel Torres of the USA in Male Kata, Douglas Brose of Brazil in Male Kumite -60kg, and Thomas Scott of the USA in Male Kumite -75kg complete the list of continental title-holders travelling to Punta del Este next week.

Much of the attention will also be focused on Karate’s Olympians from the Americas who will be participating in the event after representing the sport at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

No less than seven Olympians hope to use their Olympic experience in their favour. Ariel Torres of the USA in Male Kata, Sakura Kokumai of the USA in Female Kata, Claudymar Garces of Venezuela and Alexandra Grande of Peru both in Female Kumite -61kg, Andres Madera of Venezuela in Male Kumite -67kg, Thomas Scott of the USA in Male Kumite -75kg, and Brian Irr of the USA in Male Kumite +84kg are the Olympians competing in Punta del Rey.

The last edition of the PKF Championships was held in 2019 in Panama. The United States topped the medal table with 14 medals followed by Brazil and Mexico.

CLICK HERE to go to all the info about the event.