Spanish Karate punches through to Tokyo 2020

MADRID — The Karate 1-Premier League was hosted in Madrid, Spain last weekend, bringing together 737 participants from 89 Nations. Damien Quintero has secured a place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and will be among the first from Spain to do so.

“There are a lot of expectations here from Spain, our families, our friends, and I think it’s a good factor to improve our level,” said Ruth Lorenzo Couso.

Couso is a member of the Spanish National Team and San Francisco Teo Club. She has been competing since the age of 13 and currently competes in the Female Kumite 55kg category. “I really like Karate, I have been training so hard and I want to know how my performance is with the best Karate competitors around the world.”

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will be historic for the sport of Karate, as Nations can now send a team to compete. “I think the Olympics is very hard for all the athletes, because all the people want to be in Tokyo. Everyone is doing their best performance to be in Tokyo. I think it’s good for the level of Karate and good for all the sport’s men and women that we are here because we fight very hard to win,” said Couso.

Karate is a unique sport, it is not a spectator sport as for example football, basketball and rugby are. Karate attracts a certain fanbase and following, so what makes Karate so appealing? “Because you can see perfect kicks or maybe a punch very fast and when you take someone down to the floor, I think it’s very spectacular. Karate has a lot of values for all the people and I think it’s beautiful to see.”

“I think Karate is very difficult for the referees and for the spectators to see, “ said Couso. Karate continues to improve as the sport gains more supporters. There are areas that will continue to develop, Tokyo 2020 is the next big step in gaining global recognition.

Karate would benefit from improving the structure of the sport as well. “I think we can change little things to make Karate easier for the spectator and the referees. Maybe like in Taekwondo with the electronic assistance, I think it's very difficult for the referees to know where the point is.” The future of Karate will continue to grow as the sport receives more attention from around the globe.

Fellow Spanish teammates Sandra Sanchez and Damien Quintero received Grand Winner awards following their successful seasons. The award is given to best athletes following the completion of the season, a total of 12 athletes received the honor from varying Nations.

Competitive nature, determination and dedication are just a few qualities that are valued. “Karate is in a good level now around the world because there are a lot of countries that have very good level of competition. This is very important because we will do better in the sport. Here in Spain, the sport in general is very good because the people fight a lot to be in the first line,” said Couso

Karate will continue to develop as a sport, gaining more fans, participants and global attention. What will come next for the future of Karate?