PARIS, Fra.—Canada’s Hana Furumoto-Deshais got her 2025 competitive season off to a medal-winning start, fighting to her first Karate1 Premier League podium on Sunday in Paris.

The 28-year-old from Gatineau, Que., who has consistently battled her way to the international podium over the last three seasons, snagged the prestigious silver medal in the women’s -55kg category.

A packed crowd cheered on the feisty Canuck through a deep bracket into Sunday’s golden match where she was on the short end of a 5-3 final against Egypt’s Ahlam Youssef – the 2021 Senior World Champion.

“I am very proud of myself overall to win my first premier league silver medal, but of course, a bit bittersweet too because I was so close to the gold,” said Furumoto-Deshais.

Trinity Allen (USA) and Turkey’s Tuba Yakan shared bronze medals.

Finishing tops in her pool where she took a 1-1 decision over Chile before taking down Turkey and Italy in decisive fashion, the Team Canada representative at the 2023 Pan American Games advanced to the semi-finals after edging out Japan’s Rina Kodo in the round of eight.

The scrappy Canuck punched her ticket into the final with a 3-2 triumph over American Trinity Allen.

“This gives me a lot of confidence and I’m very excited for what’s coming up given this strong start to the season,” added Furumoto-Deshais, who is a Masters student in psychology at the University of Ottawa.  “Hopefully, I’ll be participating in all of the K1 events, Pan Ams, World Games and World Championships this season so it will be busy.”

Furumoto-Deshais has been on quite a run since taking some time off to rediscover her passion for karate. Choosing to live in Japan, completely disconnected from sport, and taking a break to find her roots proved extremely beneficial, setting up a successful return to play.

The member of the National Karate Team since 2010 claimed her first World Karate Federation Series A podium in Greece in January 2023 with a third-place finish. She matched that performance with another bronze-medal performance at the Continental Cup in Las Vegas before claiming the first Series A victory of her career on Canadian turf at the Richmond Olympic Oval (2023). She also won gold at the 2024 Senior Pan American Karate Championships in May.

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