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
- 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)
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)
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