De Los Santos beats Olympic-ranked Hungarian to clinch 25th e-Kata gold

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

 

Filipino James De Los Santos will end 2020 with a bang after a career-defining victory.

World no. 1 e-kata karateka De Los Santos just defeated Hungary’s best senior male kata player, Nagy Botond for the gold medal during the 4th Katana Intercontinental Karate League E-Tournament.

In a tightly-contested championship bout between De Los Santos and Botond, the Filipino managed to eke past his opponent by a close score of 24.9-24.5.

De Los Santos did not only defeat one of the best in the business but also the 24th-ranked Olympic karateka and the 39th in the WKF world rankings.

“I would have to admit that this match meant a lot to me because my final opponent is Hungary’s best senior male kata player. Even though I emerged victoriously, it was a very tough fight and an honor to be facing a kata player of such caliber. This is a very memorable 25th gold win,” posted De Los Santos on his Facebook account.

Previously in the elimination rounds, De Los Santos prevailed over top names such as Cornelius Johnsen, Gojushiho Dai, and Necj Strenisa.