Spanish and French Karatekas succeeded in the second day of the 2016 Karate European Championships as representatives from the two neighbouring countries claimed spots in three of the finals at stake.
Confirming their domination in Kata, Spain advanced to the finals of Male and Female Team Kata competitions. The squad formed by Damian Quintero, Jose Manuel Carbonell and Francisco Jose Salazar reached the Male Team Kata final after beating Croatia in the semifinal, while the line-up composed by Gema Morales, Margarita Morata and Paula RodrÃguez upset the defending champions of Turkey to state Spain’s brilliant performance in the category of choreographed forms.
The double Spanish presence in the finals of Team Kata continues the successful participation of Damian Quintero and Sandra Sanchez, as both of them will dispute the finals in the individual Kata competitions.
German success in Female Team Kata
Spanish female Kata team will clash against Germany in the race to gold. The German squad achieved a narrow victory over Italy to earn a ticket in the final of the European Championships for the second time in a row.
The line-up formed by Jasmin Bleul, Christine Heinrich and Sophie Watcher is the current runner-up of the competition and will try to claim gold so to complete a forceful performance in the tournament.
“It was very difficult for us to reach the final. Now we go for gold!” declared the thrilled Jasmin Bleul after the 3-2 victory over Italy.
“I think we are ready for this moment; now we have to go over our Bunkai and our Katas and we have to start focusing on our goal,” added the 22 years-old Karateka.
Two more finals for France
Just as Spanish representatives will meet French Karatekas in both the individual Male and Female competitions, the same pattern will occur in the Male Team Kata event. The current European champions aim at renovating the title against a local squad that will try to use the home ground factor in its favor. The team formed by Lucas Jeannot, Ahmed Zemouri and Enzo Montarello qualified for the last clash after beating Turkey in the semifinal.
The Male Team Kumite competition will also have a presence of local heroes in the Final. The French line-up repeats participation in the title-deciding clash after its silver medal in the 2015 edition of the championship, and will try to claim the top spot of the podium with the helo of the support from the stands.
On the other side of the tatami, French Karatekas will face current gold medallists of Turkey. The Turkish team led by Karate Star Enes Erkan beat Portugal to advance to the last stages of the tournament thus clinching the sixth final for the Turkish delegation in this championships.
The Female Team Kumite competition will present a showcase between the squads of Azerbaijan and Croatia. The current champions of Croatia will try to earn their second title in a row after making it to the final following a convincing victory over France. Azerbaijan ladies surprised and eliminated the 2013 champions of Turkey in a disputed clash (2-1).
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