OJ delos Santos still on a roll, scoops up 12th karate gold
MANILA, Philippines – World No. 2 Filipino karateka James “OJ” delos Santos continued his ascent to the top after he copped his 12th gold medal in the Venice Cup 2020 online tournament Tuesday night.
Delos Santos, 30, turned back Slovenian Nejc Sternisa, 25.2-23.7, to snare his 12th mint and earn him some ranking points that should push him closer to World No. 1 Eduardo Garcia of Portugal.
“I’m not far from the No. 1 spot, just a little more and we’re almost there,” said delos Santos.
It also helped that Garcia, who was leading the two-time Southeast Asian Games bronze medalist, 7,105-8,125, in ranking points entering the tournament, sputtered as early as the first round, losing, 23.7-23.9.
“I was actually expecting him (Garcia) in the finals but he lost,” said delos Santos.
On his way to the finals, he hurdled Canada’s Scott Taylor, 23.9-21.8, Luxembourg’s Kevin Petry, 24.9-22.4, and Switzerland’s Matias Moreno Domont, who withdrew due to illness.
Delos Santos is expected to extend his streak and close in on Garcia as the former competes in the Okinawa World Series and the 1st Euro Grand Prix E-Tournament next month.
- Latest
- Trending
