Aug 06 (timeout.com) - Karate has finally made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games and Japan has now won two medals in the new Olympic sport.
Just yesterday, karateka Kiyou Shimizu won the silver medal in the women’s karate kata match. Following her win is Ryo Kiyuna, who snatched the gold medal in the men’s kata final at the Nippon Budokan arena.
Kiyuna, a 31-year-old Okinawa native, won against Damian Quintero from Spain, making him the first-ever Japanese karateka to win an Olympic gold medal. He scored 28.72 against Quintero's 27.66.
The kata practice of karate focuses on the form and posture of the sport as well as the detailed choreography of the movements made against an opponent.