Over the weekend, Canadian National Team Roster members were in Salzburg, Austria, for the 2020 edition of the Salzburg Premier League K1 tournament, which was held from February 28th – March 1st. The Canadian delegation included 8 athletes, accompanied by one coach. A total of 651 athletes from 88 countries around the world competed in this event. This weekend event saw a number of spirited performances on the part of Canadian athletes, with two top-5 finishes, including a silver medal.

In women’s kumite, Haya Jumaa (-61kg) went undefeated in her first three matches to win her pool; Jumaa subsequently beat Gianna Lofty of Egypt in the semi-final to move forward to the finals where she would lose by decision to Merve Coban of Turkey.

On the men’s side, Daniel Gaysinsky (+84kg) lost his first match to eventual finalist Brian Irr (USA). After winning his first three matches in repechage, Gaysinsky was defeated by Gogita Arkania, of Georgia, finishing in 5^th place.

Karate Canada President Mr. Craig Vokey stated that “As we enter the last leg of the race towards Olympic qualification, these results are very encouraging, and once again confirm that our National Team members belong amongst the world’s very best karate athletes. The Enhanced Excellence support provided by Sport Canada towards Olympic preparation, and which is being rolled out via Karate Canada’s Team 2020 program, is clearly paying dividends.”

The 2020 Salzburg Premier League K1 is an important preparation event on the road to the next summer Olympic Games, taking place in Tokyo 2020. Next up for the Senior National Karate Team will be the Rabat Premier League K1 taking place from March 13th-15th.

Photo: Kphotos