Continental Championships
Olympians Sakura Kokumai and Ariel Torres head USA's success at PKF Championships
2023-05-26
The first day of the 2023 PKF Senior Championships was held Thursday, with the representatives of USA Karate dominating the competition. After the qualification to the Pan American Games on Wednesday, Day 1 of the PKF Championships had Olympians Sakura Kokumai and Ariel Torres among the stars of the event.
SAKURA KOKUMAI AND ARIEL TORRES PREVAIL IN ALL-AMERICAN FINALS OF KATA
The categories of Female and Male Kata were a showcase of the strength of USA Karate, as the two finals had representatives of the north-American powerhouse nation of the sport fighting for gold.
In Female Kata, the victory went to Olympian Sakura Kokumai who claimed her ninth continental crown after beating Jessica Kwong by 41.1 to 39.8.
Meanwhile, the All-American final of Male Kata was taken by Olympic Games bronze medallist Ariel Torres, who won his fourth Pan-American gold. Torres won the title-deciding bout over teammate Gakuji Tozaki (43.2 to 42.0).
SKYLAR LINGL COMPLETES OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
The delegation of USA Karate not only excelled in Kata. Skylar Lingl added one more title for the United States as she became the continental champion in Female Kumite -68kg. After winning the ticket to the Pan American Games one day earlier, Lingl won her second continental crown following a convincing 8-3 victory over Wendy Mary Ann Mosquera of Colombia.
RODRIGO ROJAS CLAIMS THIRD CONTINENTAL TITLE
The final of Male Kumite +84kg had two of the most experienced karatekas of the category clashing for gold. Rodrigo Rojas of Chile recovered the title that he won for the last time in 2021 with a slim 4-3 victory over Olympian Brian Irr of the United States.
JOSE ANTONIO ACEVEDO SURPRISES IN MALE KUMITE -84KG
Jose Antonio Acevedo of Ecuador produced one of the big upsets of the day as he became the new continental champion in Male Kumite -84kg. The Ecuadorian athlete who had the U21 Continental championships bronze medal as the best result defeated Jorge Merino of El Salvador 1-1 in the final.
The competition continues Friday with the rest of the categories at stake.
The PKF Championships is also a qualifying event to the upcoming ANOC Beach Games to be held in Bali (Indonesia) from August 6 to 7. The two top-ranked athletes in the Kata competition of Costa Rica win the tickets to the multi-sport event.
(Pictures: Christian Cordero Salazar)
