Tsukii seeks strong finish

After a pair of miscues, Junna Tsukii vowed to go all out to end the season with a bang.

The Filipino-Japanese ace, the world No. 5 karateka in the women’s -50-kilogram (kg) category, said she is determined to clinch the gold medal in the 2021 AKF Senior Championships in Kazakhstan from 19 to 22 December.

She said her setback in the world joust recently was too painful to bear so she will do her best to bounce back in the season-ending tourney.

“I lost at the world championships, but still, I am focused on winning the gold medal in Asia,” said Tsukii, who is training in Baguio with the national karate squad.

“After losing my game, it was a very hard time for me. But I need to improve. The most important thing right now is not to rest, but to stay focused.”

After striking gold in the Karate1 Premier League in Cairo, Tsukii found herself making an early exit in her next international tourney.

She bowed to Karment Klement of Hungary in the second round of the women’s -50-kg event to bomb out in the Moscow edition of the Karate1 last October.

Then, she absorbed a heartbreaking loss to Bakhriniso Babaeva of Uzbekistan in the women’s -50-kg class of the Senior World Championships 2021 recently in Dubai.

Still, Tsukii is keeping herself upbeat and doesn’t allow her previous setbacks to bring her down.

“I just focus on the positive things. Just keep positive,” Tsukii said.