Sandra Sánchez Claims Maiden Gold in Women’s Kata Competition at Tokyo Games

2020 Tokyo Games

Sandra Sánchez is having her golden moment…

The 39-year-old Spanish karateka, known as the “Queen of Kata,” has claimed the first-ever gold medal in karate after winning the women’s kata competition at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Sandra Sanchez,

Sanchez defeated Japan‘s Kiyou Shimizu at the Nippon Budokan, known as the spiritual home of Japanese martial arts.

Shimizu scored 27.88 points to finish 0.18 point behind the Spanish reigning world champion in the event in which athletes compete to execute a series of movements more proficiently than their opponents.

Sandra Sanchez,

In the event, karateka perform kata that consists of offensive and defensive movements targeting a nonexistent opponent. They are scored based on their technical and athletic performance.

The other competition, kumite, features three-minute bouts and is divided into three weight classes for both men and women.