Will Junna rule world meet?

Karate Pilipinas Sports Federation president Ricky Lim said yesterday he expects Junna Tsukii to dominate the -50 kilogram women’s division at the World Championships in the Hamdan Sports Complex, Dubai on Nov. 16-21 as the Philippines will be represented by two athletes in kumite and two in kata through six days of competition featuring 1,054 karatekas from 117 countries.

Tsukii, 30 and Jaime Lim, 24, will battle in kumite while Joco Vasquez, 20, and Sarah Kamijo Pangilinan, 18, are entered in kata. Lim will drop down from +61 to -61 in her first try to land a podium finish in a lighter weight classification. “It’s time to shine and show your best,” said Ricky Lim. “We’ve learned our lessons in the Olympic qualifiers in Paris but now, we’re more prepared. Jamie and Joco trained in a bubble in Baguio for close to two months. Junna has been working out in Serbia and Sarah is now being coached by Tokyo Olympic kata silver medalist Kiyou Shimizu in Osaka.”

“Junna is ranked No. 2 in the world but at the Olympic qualifiers, she fought in -55 because organizers scrapped -50 which is where she won gold at the SEA Games in 2019,” said Lim. “Now, she’s back in -50. Junna recently won a premier tournament in Portugal so I think she’s ready to dominate in Dubai. Jamie beat the 2016 world champion in her first match at the Olympic qualifiers but in +68, she found her second opponent from Tunisia too big and too strong. She suffered an early takedown and struggled. At -61, her reach and height will be an advantage and she won’t be too outsized. As for Joco, he reached the third round in the Olympic qualifiers and has the potential to go far. Sarah has been training 10 to 12 hours a day, taking private lessons from Shimizu in her dojo at night after going through karate classes by day.”

Lim said at the Asian Championships in Kazakhstan on Dec. 18-22, the Philippines will send a team of eight. “This is important to build qualifying points for the next World Championships and also a preparation for the SEA Games in May,” he said. “It’s a big sacrifice for our athletes because when they get back, they’ll spend Christmas Day in hotel quarantine. We’re also competing in the Asian Games in September. We’re still hoping karate will be back in the calendar for the Paris Olympics.”