Karateka Junna Tsukii continues to push for Olympic berth
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-Japanese Karateka Junna Tsukii isn't letting up in her quest for a Olympic berth to Tokyo 2020.
Despite getting a late start to collecting points due to issues with Karate Pilipinas' approval from the World Karate Federaiton, Tsukii has been making up for lost time.
"Many people said and thought it was impossible to catch up to all the top rakners, but I never gave up," Tsukii said in a Facebook post.
From a meager 226th world ranking in 2018, Tsukii soared to the top 10 and is in prime shape to punch a ticket to the Summer Olympics.
"I've had a lot of people ask me, 'how much chance [sic], what percentage, do you have to participate in the Olympics?'," Tsukii wrote.
"I reply to them, 'chance is always born once I commit to my opportunity. Without the challenge, my percentage is always zero. As I chase my dream over time, I will have infinite opportunities to open doors to greatness," she said.
Tsukii will have two more tournaments and a final Paris qualifier in May to rack up more points and officially qualify for the quadrennial meet.
"For now, my goal is to gather as many points as possible, and to medal at the last two Olympic qualifying events. I am never giving up until the end," she said.
Tsukii clinched a gold medal finish in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in Manila.
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