Tsukii finds gold in Cairo

MANILA, Philippines — Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Junna Tsukii leaned on a late hit to edge local bet Areeg Rashed, 2-1, and top the 2021 Karate1 Premier League in Cairo, Egypt last Sunday.

It was the third gold for the 29-year-old Fil-Japanese after reigning supreme in the Golden Belt tournament in Serbia last March and the Lisbon edition of the Karate1 Premier League last May.

The feat propelled Tsukii to No. 7 in the World Karate Federation (WKF) rankings.

Tsukii swept all her fights in the kumite -50-kg class including wins against Austrian Aleksandra Grujic, Venezuelan Yorgelis Salazar and another hometown representative Reem Ahmed Salama.