Philippine karateka Tsukii wins gold in Cairo tiff

MANILA, Philippines — Fil-Japanese karateka Junna Tsukii has struck gold in the Karate1 Premier League in Cairo, Egypt.

Winning all her five bouts, Tsukii secured the first place finish after beating home bet, Rashee Areeg, 2-1, in the -50kg division kumite final on Sunday.

Tsukii and Areeg were neck-and-neck until the final seconds of the gold medal match.

But the 29-year-old would land a "Yuko" — a punch to the head or the body of an opponent — to take the 2-1 lead with six seconds left on the clock.

Her opponent would ask for a review of the call via Video Assistant Referee (VAR) with the replay affirming the point awarded.

This proved to be the finishing blow against Areeg as she was unable to score in the final moments of the match.

En route to the gold medal match, Tsukii went undefeated in three matches during pool play.

In the semifinal, she beat another home bet and former junior world champion Reen Ahmed Saleema.

This is Tsukii's second gold at the Karate Premier League, winning her first gold in Lisbon, Portugal in May this year.