Thrilling Fights, Intense Drama, and Glorious Triumph – The WKF Karate World Championship in Jesolo!

Exciting Battles, Bitter Dramas, and Glorious Triumph – The WKF Karate World Championship in Jesolo!

The start of the WKF World Cadet, Junior U21 Championship tournament on Wednesday was intense! Jessica Vlai, the talented Kata athlete, made a spectacular start and impressed with a strong performance. However, in the pool final, she was defeated by an opponent from Japan. In the consolation round, she faced a close match against a Slovak competitor, which unfortunately ended with a 7th place finish for Jessica.

For Mia Bitsch (U21 -55kg), the tournament began with an exciting 1-0 victory against Vietnam. However, the fight against Slovakia turned into a thrilling duel at eye level. After a 0-0 draw over the full distance, the decision came down to the judges, where Mia was unlucky to lose. Since her opponent did not reach the final, Mia's tournament journey came to an

The most dramatic moment occurred with Sydney Yvon (U21 -61kg), who faced a fighter from Japan—the nation with the most final appearances in the tournament so far. Sydney put on a great performance and took a 5:0 lead. However, the tension peaked when, with four warnings, she was just one point away from disqualification. In a desperate attack, Sydney was struck by a hard kick to the head and fell to the ground. After a dramatic scene in which she got back up, the head referee ruled it as acting and disqualified her—a bitter and controversial decision. This shock meant an early exit for Sydney, as the Japanese fighter also lost in the next round.

A highlight on Wednesday was Emina Sipovic (U21 -61kg), the reigning European champion. She confidently made it to the semifinals, but had to concede to Egypt. However, in the fight for third place, Emina left nothing to chance and secured a well-deserved bronze medal with a victory against Australia.

Thursday: Tough Fighting Spirit and Narrow Defeats

On the second day of competition, Cristina Fratila and Imane Valk (U18 -66kg) competed, both with great determination. After winning their first matches, they unfortunately lost in their second bouts and were eliminated.

Roman Raiswich (U18 -68kg), making his debut in the German national team, delivered an impressive performance and reached the semifinals. There, he faced Egypt and was narrowly defeated. In the fight for third place on Saturday, Roman fell short against Turkey but proudly finished fifth at the World Championship.

Lukas Bohunicky (U18 +76kg) fought his way to the pool final, where he narrowly lost to Saudi Arabia. However, as the Saudi fighter reached the final, Lukas got a second chance—and he seized it with excellence. On Saturday, he crowned his performance with a third-place finish, bringing the bronze medal to Germany.

Friday: Fighting Spirit and Great Emotions

On the third day, Liv Svende König (U16 -61kg) showed her fighting spirit and defeated her first opponent from Bosnia. In the second bout, however, she was overpowered by a strong Russian athlete. This athlete was later eliminated in the semifinals, which ended Liv's tournament journey as well.

Strong Performance and Unforgettable Atmosphere

Noah Bitsch, who coached the German team as national coach, summed up the tournament positively: “We are at a World Championship here. To think that it will be easy is naive. With two silver and one bronze medal, we can really be proud of our team.” The pride was well-deserved—the German team showed heart, dedication, and perseverance at the highest level.

The atmosphere in the hall was simply fantastic throughout all five days. The event was sold out every day, the fans cheered on their fighters enthusiastically, and just in time for the start of the tournament, the weather over Jesolo was perfect. Another highlight was the well-visited Punok stand, where the announcement of Mohammad Aljafari (U21 -84kg) as the newly crowned vice-world champion sparked excitement.

The WKF World Cadet, Junior U21 Championship in Jesolo will be remembered as an unforgettable tournament, where the young karatekas not only won medals but also displayed the fighting spirit and passion of karate in its full glory.