1st Indian To Win Gold In World Karate Championship At Jakarta
Pranay Sharma won gold in WKF
In a first for the country, Indian karate players have bagged a bronze medal each in the WKF Youth Cup and Karate1 World Championship held in Corfu, Greece. In the Youth Cup being held from July 1-7, Pranay Sharma (50Kg) won the medal in the Sub Junior category of the Kumite event while Karl Vatcha claimed a podium finish in the Sub Junior of Kata, All India Karate-Do Federation said in a release. Eight-year-old Pranay defeated Georgia’s Guram Tsiklauri in the final to clinch the medal. In the Kata event, Vacha beat Italy’s Giulio Menghini to claim bronze.
India was represented by 25 players in the tournament. In Karate1 World Championship held from July 6-9, India also had a good show as it won two medals each in Kumite and Kata events. Pranay, who trains at the Umakanth Varma Combat Club under Coach Jyoti Sharma and Rakesh Kumar won all his four bouts in straight sets to make it to the finals.
The WKF Youth Cup and Karate1 World Championship is an international tournament organized by the World Karate Federation (WKF). It is being held from July 1-7 in Corfu, Greece. The tournament has attracted more than 200 athletes from 30 nations across the world.
WKF President Dr. M A Syed Ali congratulated the winners and urged them to prepare well for next year’s World Championships in Spain. “It was a tough tournament and we are happy that our athletes have done us proud by winning medals at the highest level,” he said.
Dr. Syed Ali also thanked the WKF Technical Director and Tournament Organizer, Mr. Günter Stöckel, for his untiring efforts in ensuring that the event was successful and well-organized. He also thanked the Greek hosts for their hospitality and support. Dr. Syed Ali urged all those who had participated in the event to continue training hard so that they would be ready for next year’s World Championships in Spain.