PARIS, Fra.—Four Canadian karate athletes successfully launched into the 2024 season at the Karate-1 Premier League in Paris.

Yamina Lahyanssa (Montreal) led a four-pack of Canadians in the women’s -50kg weight category. Lily-Rose Nolet (Gatineau, Que.) battled in the +68kg women’s division, while Hana

Furumoto-Deshaies (Gatineau, Que.) returned to the Tatami in the -55kg women’s weight division. Yassin Miri (Montreal) was the lone Canadian male competing in the -60kg division.

“Our Canadian athletes demonstrated exemplary pride, skill, and passion in Paris. This competition serves as a significant benchmark, providing valuable insights into the athletes’ standings against the world’s elite,” said Rodney Hobson, sport technical leader, Karate Canada. “As the inaugural Premier League of the season, and with several consequential events on the horizon, this was a perfect test for the entire team.”

The 21-year-old Lahyanssa and 19-year-old Nolet both went 2-1 in their poles, advancing to within one match of the elimination rounds. Furumoto-Deshaies and Miri also fought hard on the Tatami. Furumoto-Deshaies was on the short end of her three matches, while Miri went 1-2 in his bouts.

The top athlete in each pool advance to the elimination rounds.

Canada was represented by five officials in Paris including:  Maryam Kermani, Maria Jose Salmeron, Yoshie Furumoto, Djibril Ba and Trevor Walmsley.

It was a big weekend for Hana Furumoto-Deshaies and Lily-Rose Nolet who both also passed their WKF coaching licenses at this event.

The Canadians will be back in action at the Premiere League in Antalya, Turkey in March.

For complete results at the Karate-1 Premier League in Paris, please visit here.

For more information on Karate Canada, please visit us at www.karatecanada.org.