Chengdu, China — The 12th edition of The World Games brought together the best of Karate in a celebration of skill, discipline, and sportsmanship. Held at the Sichuan Stadium from August 8–9, the competition featured 94 athletes from 38 nations, continuing a tradition that has been part of The World Games since 1981.

Day 1: Precision and Power

The first day delivered six new champions, with finals decided by a mix of razor-sharp kata and high-intensity kumite bouts.

Male Kata

  • Gold: Kakeru Nishiyama (Japan)
  • Silver: Ariel Torres (United States)
  • Bronze: Alessio Ghinami (Italy)

Female Kata

Partner

  • Gold: Mo Sheung Grace Lau (Hong Kong)
  • Silver: Maho Ono (Japan)
  • Bronze: Paola Garcia Lozano (Spain)

Female Kumite -50kg

  • Gold: Sara Bahmanyar (Iran)
  • Silver: Moldir Zhangbyrbay (Kazakhstan)
  • Bronze: Ema Sgardelli (Croatia)

Male Kumite -60kg

  • Gold: Eray Samdan (Türkiye)
  • Silver: Hiromu Hashimoto (Japan)
  • Bronze: Christos Stefanos Xenos (Greece)

Female Kumite -55kg

  • Gold: Mia Bitsch (Germany)
  • Silver: Anzhelika Terliuga (Ukraine)
  • Bronze: Valentina Toro (Chile)

Male Kumite -67kg

  • Gold: Said Oubaya (Morocco)
  • Silver: Yugo Kozaki (Japan)
  • Bronze: Abdel Rahman Almasatfa (Jordan)

(250808) — CHENGDU, Aug. 8, 2025 (Xinhua) — Lau Mo Sheung Grace of China’s Hong Kong competes during the women’s kata gold medal match of Karate event at the World Games 2025 in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Aug. 8, 2025. (Xinhua/Tenzin Nyida)

Day 2: Comebacks and Surprises

The second day brought inspiring returns and unexpected upsets, closing the Karate tournament in spectacular fashion.

Women’s Kumite -61kg

  • Gold: Gong Li (China)
  • Silver: Sarara Shimada (Japan)
  • Bronze: Aly Noursin (Egypt)

Men’s Kumite -75kg

  • Gold: Enzo Berthon (France)
  • Silver: Yusei Sakiyama (Japan)
  • Bronze: Abdalla Abdelaziz (Egypt)

Women’s Kumite -68kg

  • Gold: Elena Quirici (Switzerland)
  • Silver: Iryna Zaretska (Azerbaijan)
  • Bronze: Tsubasa Kama (Japan)

Men’s Kumite -84kg

  • Gold: Mohammad Aljafari (Jordan)
  • Silver: Ivan Kvesic (Croatia)
  • Bronze: Rikito Shimada (Japan)

Women’s Kumite +68kg

  • Gold: Johanna Kneer (Germany)
  • Silver: Maria Torres Garcia (Spain)
  • Bronze: Clio Ferracuti (Italy)

Men’s Kumite +84kg

  • Gold: Ryzvan Talibov (Ukraine)
  • Silver: Andjelo Kvesic (Croatia)
  • Bronze: Saleh Abazari (Iran)

(250809) — CHENGDU, Aug. 9, 2025 (Xinhua) — Zhai Ang (L) of China competes against Taha Mahmoud of Egypt during the men’s kumite +84kg pool round match of Karate event at The World Games 2025 in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Aug. 9, 2025. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Official Medal Table – The World Games 2025 Karate

Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Germany 2 0 0 2
2 Japan 3 5 0 8
3 Ukraine 1 0 1 2
4 Jordan 1 0 1 2
4 Iran 1 0 1 2
6 Türkiye 1 0 0 1
6 France 1 0 0 1
6 Hong Kong, China 1 0 0 1
6 Morocco 1 0 0 1
6 China 1 0 0 1
6 Switzerland 1 0 0 1
12 Croatia 0 1 2 3
13 Spain 0 1 1 2
14 United States 0 1 0 1
14 Kazakhstan 0 1 0 1
14 Azerbaijan 0 1 0 1
17 Egypt 0 0 2 2
17 Italy 0 0 2 2
19 Chile 0 0 1 1
19 Greece 0 0 1 1

Karate’s Enduring Place in The World Games

From Gong Li’s emotional comeback on home soil to Johanna Kneer’s upset over the world’s top-ranked fighter, Chengdu’s Karate tournament was a display of mastery, mental strength, and respect — the very values that make the sport a staple of The World Games since 1981.

Germany emerged as the top gold-winning nation, while Japan demonstrated depth with eight total medals across kata and kumite. As the champions depart Chengdu, they carry the pride of their nations — and the honour of standing atop The World Games podium.

© Photos The World Games

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