Tsukii wins gold in World Games

MANILA, Philippines — Fil-Japanese karateka Junna Tsukii finally hit the big one as she struck gold in the World Games in Birmingham, Alabama yesterday.

Tsukii, 30, held off World No. 2 Yorgelis Salazar of Venezuela, 2-0, to capture the women’s -50-kilogram mint, the country’s first in the quadrennial event that banners sports that are not played in the Olympics.

Tsukii’s output so far has matched the country’s one-gold effort delivered by former World Pool and US Open champion Carlo Biado in the event’s last staging in Poland in 2017.

A total of 10 Filipino athletes are vying this year in Alabama.