Karate Canada – Paris, January 30^th, 2017 – Over the weekend, Canadian National Team Roster members were in Paris, France, for the Paris Open K-1 Championships, which were held from January 27^th-29^th. The Canadian delegation included 15 athletes, accompanied by three coaches and eight officials. A total of 1247 athletes from 79 countries around the world competed in this event. This weekend event saw a number of spirited performances on the part of Canadian athletes, with three top-10 finishes, including two bronze medals.

In women’s kumite, Kathryn Campbell, of New Brunswick, won her first three matches in the -55kg division, losing to eventual silver medallist Amy Connell of Scotland; she came back to earn a bronze medal during repechage, winning against Reka Molnar of Hungary. In the -61kg division, Haya Jumaa won her first two matches, losing to eventual silver medallist Merve Coban of Turkey; she went on to win a further three matches in repechage, defeating Xiaoyan Yin of China to take ta bronze medal  Also in the -61kg category, Kamille Desjardins, of Quebec, lost her first match to eventual gold medallist Jovana Prekovic of Serbia, later winning two matches in repechage for a 9^th-place finish.  

In men’s kumite. Daniel Gaysinsky, of Ontario, won his first three matches in the +84kg division before losing to Emre Ipek of Turkey.
In women’s kata, Hana Furumoto-Deshaies, of Québec, won her first two matches before losing to Spanish opponent Silvana Celma Bodington.

Karate Canada’s President, Mr. Craig Vokey, commented that the Paris Open saw a “fantastic performance from Canadian athletes at the first Karate One event of 2017. With two podium and a top 10 finish and recent top 10 placings at the recent World Championships, Canadian athletes are setting their sights on Tokyo 2020. Of note several Canadian officials also were kept busy during the event which had almost 1300 competitors”. The 2017 Paris Open is an important preparation event on the road to the next summer Olympic Games, taking place in Tokyo 2020.

About Karate Canada:

Karate Canada is a not-for-profit corporation constituted under Part II of the Canada Corporations Act, with the objective of describing and incorporating all activities related to the promotion, organization, regulation and popularization of the sport of karate all over Canada, of protecting the physical and emotional health of athletes, and of promoting the interests of karate throughout Canada. Karate Canada and its 10 member Provincial and Territorial Associations assemble roughly 16,000 participants nationwide. Furthermore, Karate Canada is a proud member of the Canadian Olympic Committee, the World Karate Federation and the Pan American Karate Federation. See more at www.karatecanada.org.