Sanchez-Shimizu Need Extra Kata In Tokyo

For the fifth time in the Karate 1-Premier League’s 2019 season, Sandra Sanchez and Kiyou Shimizu squared off in the finals of the Female Kata in Tokyo.

Competing for over 14,000 spectators, less than a year from the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Sanchez and Shimizu continued their brimming rivalry on the Japanese Karateka’s home-turf.

After splitting the series, the two would end up tying with one another during this weekend’s final sharing the same final score of 27.68 after executing both “Chatanyara Kushanku” kata.

An extra kata was done to break the tie with Shimizu edging out Sanchez in her native Japan with a score of 27.74 to Sanchez’s 27.48.

“When I stepped into the tatami, I had the same feeling I got at the World Championships,” Shimizu said following her victory. “At the event in Madrid, both of us did “Chantanyara Kushanku”, and Sandra was declared the winner. Today it was the first time that we both did the same kata since Madrid, but the result was different.”

“It was great to have such fantastic support from the stands. The cheering of all the spectators gave me wings. It also gave me the responsibility to do my best to fulfill their expectations. Today we did two katas, it was like doing two finals. It was a fantastic experience ahead of the Olympic Games,” added the local star who could avenge the defeat she suffered in Madrid at the World Championships.