WKF announces first qualified athletes for Tokyo 2020
Due to the cancellation of the last qualifying tournaments because of the coronavirus outbreak, the first stage of the Olympic qualification pathway has been finalised. The four highest-ranked athletes per gender and Olympic event claim the 32 places allocated by standings. Additionally, the WKF has also confirmed the Japanese athletes who take the host nation quota in each one of the Olympic categories.
The qualified athletes are:
Male Kata
Mattia Busato (ITA)
Antonio Diaz (VEN)
Ryo Kiyuna (JPN)
Damian Quintero (ESP)
Ali Sofuoglu (TUR)
Female Kata
Viviana Bottaro (ITA)
Sakura Kokumai (USA)
Mo Sheung Grace Lau (HKG)
Sandra Sanchez (ESP)
Kiyou Shimizu (JPN)
Male Kumite -67kg
Darkhan Assadilov (KAZ)
Angelo Crescenzo (ITA)
Steven Dacosta (FRA)
Vinicius Figueira (BRA)
Naoto Sago (JPN)
Female Kumite -55kg
Sara Bahmanyar (IRI)
Miho Miyahara (JPN)
Serap Ozcelik Arapoglu (TUR)
Anzhelika Terliuga (UKR)
Tzu-Yun Wen (TPE)
Male Kumite -75kg
Rafael Aghayev (AZE)
Bahman Asgari Ghoncheh (IRI)
Luigi Busa (ITA)
Stanislav Horuna (UKR)
Ken Nishimura (JPN)
Male Kumite -61kg
Merve Coban (TUR)
Giana Lotfy (EGY)
Jovana Prekovic (SRB)
Mayumi Someya (JPN)
Xiaoyan Yin (CHN)
Male Kumite +75kg
Ugur Aktas (TUR)
Ryutaro Araga (JPN)
Sajad Ganjzadeh (IRI)
Jonathan Horne (GER)
Ivan Kvesic (CRO)
Female Kumite +61kg
Hamideh Abbasali (IRI)
Meltem Hocaouglu (TUR)
Elena Quirici (SUI)
Ayumi Uekusa (JPN)
Irina Zaretska (AZE)
The Olympic qualification process continues now to allocate the rest of the places to complete the final list of 80 karatekas to participate in Tokyo 2020. No less than 24 athletes will earn the Olympic ticket at the qualification tournament to be held in Paris (France). Additionally, 12 athletes will get the berth for the Olympic Games by continental representation and up to four karatekas will take the Olympic ticket by the Tripartite Commission invitation places.