Olympics hopeful Junna Tsukii barges to Finals in Lisbon karate stint

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-Japanese karateka Junna Tsukii has surprised the competition in the Karate 1-Premier League in Lisbon in the first day of the competition on Friday.

This as the Pasay City-born athlete plowed through her opponents to clinch a Finals berth scheduled on Sunday.

Tsukii's path to the final included a strong 10-2 victory to open her campaign against Colombia's Daniela Gallego, and an emphatic upset over two-time World champion Alexandra Recchia of France in the semifinals.

She will compete for all the marbles against Moldir Zhangbyrbay of Kazhakstan in the Finals.

The tournament is cucial for Tsukii as Olympic points are at stake, she is ranked world No. 15 in the female kumite -50kg division and hopes to represent the Philippines in the Summer Games in July.

The Karateka has been spending the past few months in Serbia as she trains for the Olympics. She suffered an early exit in the opening event of the season in Istanbul earlier this year.

Most recently, she won the gold at the Golden belt tournament in Serbia in March.