He smiles karate blue at the World Team Championships Pamplonascheduled from November 22nd to Sunday 24th. Italy, among the few nations to present all four teams, has already secured two places in the semi-finals in female kata and male kumite.
The kata girls dominate the group and fly to the semifinals
Great performance by the kata girls, current world and European vice champions. Terryana D’Onofrio, Michela Rizzo and Elena Roversi dominated their group with four wins out of four, beating Germany, Botswana, China and Brazil. Having reached the quarterfinals, the Italians found and beat Iran – protagonist of three victories out of four in their group – with a very clear 42.8 to 39.6. The anticipation is therefore growing for tomorrow’s difficult match – 23 November – against Portugal, in search of a place in the world final.
The kumite blues eliminate the reigning champions
The men’s kumite team is also smiling, made up of Luca Maresca, Daniele De Vivo, Amhed El Sharaby, Lorenzo Pietromarchi, Michele Martina, Matteo Fiore, Matteo Avanzini and Andrea Minardi. Finishing second in a complicated group thanks to three victories over Croatia, Australia and North Macedonia, the Azzurri met Jordan in the quarter-finals. After the difficult start, with the defeat of Pietromarchi and the draw of De Vivo, the three consecutive and clear victories of Avanzini, Fiore and Maresca allowed Italy to continue its journey by eliminating the reigning world champions. Tomorrow, in the semi-final, they will face Egypt.
The appointments of November 23rd, where to watch the races
An excellent start for Italy, but the results can still improve. In addition to the three in the semi-finals won today, the men’s kata team and the women’s kumite team will also fight. We will therefore see Mattia Busato, Gianluca Gallo and Alessandro Iodice, Viola Lallo, Giulia Angelucci, Anna Pia Desiderio, Pamela Bodei and Clio Ferracuti on the Spanish tatami, ready to secure a place in Sunday’s finals. Tomorrow’s live streaming will be on the Wkf YouTube channel, while Sunday’s finals will be live on Sky.
