The best African karatekas gather this week in Gaborone (Botswana) for the 18th edition of the UFAK Senior Championships. The new heroes of the sport in the continent will be crowned in an event to showcase the tremendous popularity of the discipline in Africa. 

The best African karatekas gather this week in Gaborone (Botswana) for the 18th edition of the UFAK Senior Championships. The new heroes of the sport in the continent will be crowned in an event to showcase the tremendous popularity of the discipline in Africa. 

The 2019 UFAK Senior Championships will be held in Gaborone (Botswana) from Friday July 12 to Sunday July 14th. The tournament will take place at the University of Botswana in the capital city of the African ry, and it is expected to continue the progress of the events organised by the African Karate Federation. The finals are scheduled for Friday (17:30 to 19:30 local times), Saturday (17:30 to 20:00 local times) and Sunday (16:00 to 18:00 local times)

The biggest stars of African Karate will be in Gaborone to clash for the continental title.  Two-time World champion Giana Lotfy of Egypt aims to become one of the biggest names of the event as the top-ranked African female karateka hopes to win his third continental title. 

The fight for gold in Female Kata is expected to be one of the highlights of the event. Current champion Sarah Sayed of Egypt who takes the place 13th in WKF Ranking will have Morocco’s Sanae Agalmam as the top competitor in the quest to the top of the podium. The Female Kumite -68kg category is also set to catch the interest of fans as Feryal Abdelaziz of Egypt who won the Karate 1-Premier League Dubai this year will clash against current title-holder and World Championships bronze medallist Lamya Matoub of Algeria. 

In Male categories, Ali Elsawy of Egypt will fight for the domination of Male Kumite -61kg. The 3rd-placed athlete in WKF World ranking has taken three medals in international competitions this year and is the current continental champion of the category. Meanwhile, Hocine Daikhi of Algeria who takes the place 11th in WKF World ranking has his eyes set in his second consecutive gold in Male Kumite +84kg. 

Current title-holders Abdalla Mamduh Abdelaziz of Egypt in Male Kumite -75kg, Michael Du Plassis of South African in Male Kata, and top-ranked Radwa Sayed of Egypt in Female Kumite -50kg are among the front-runners competing at the 2019 UFAK Senior Championships this week.