Karate 1 Premier League:
Iranians to vie for three medals on Day 3 in Hangzhou
Three medals, including one gold, will be up for grabs for the Iranians when they resume action on Day 3 of the Karate 1 Premier League series in Hangzhou, China, today.
Representing the country in the female kumite -55kg contests, Fatemeh Sa’adati defeated opponents from Scotland, Chile, and Greece to progress to the quarterfinals as the pool winner, before beating Bulgarian Ivet Goranova 2-0 for a last-four spot on Friday.
A 5-2 victory over Luxembourg’s Jennifer Warling saw the Iranian girl set a final date with Rina Kodo of Japan.
Fatemeh Sadeqi, a Series A goal medalist in in Tbilisi in January, will be looking to finish her campaign with a consolation bronze in the female kata event, when taking on Japanese Saeko Azuma.
Sadeqi claimed three wins in a row in the pool phase but fell to a 43.3-41.6 loss to Mo Sheung Grace Lau of Hong Kong.
Former world champion Bahman Asgari also enjoyed an emphatic run to reach the men’s kumite -75kg semifinals, only to suffer a last-gasp defeat against Enzo Berthon of France, and will face Croatian Ivan Martinac in the bronze-medal bout today.