MANILA, Philippines — World Championship veterans Junna Tsukii and Jamie Lim lived up to billing as they swept their three matches yesterday to barge into the gold medal rounds of the 2021 Asian Karate Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Tsukii, ranked No. 4 in the world and No. 2 in Asia, trounced South Korea’s Jung Ji Young, 4-1, Hong Kong’s Tsang Yee Ting, 9-0, and the United Arab Emirates’ Hawraa Al Ajmi, 3-2, to set up a final showdown with Kazakhstan’s Moldir Zhangbyrbay in the women’s -50-kilogram division.
Lim, the top Asian in the World Championship in Dubai last month, eked out pulsating wins over Taipei’s Ku Chih-Ling, 5-4, Kyrgyzstan’s Kymbat Toitonova, 1-0, and Jordan’s Joud Aldrous, 1-0, to arrange a gold duel with UAE’s Sarah Alameri in the women’s -61kg class.
The finals are set today.