Karate One Premier League Istanbul: This Is What the Winners Said!
The 2026 Karate One Premier League season opened in Istanbul this past weekend with top-level performances from some of the world’s best karate athletes. The tournament marked the opening competition of the year of Karate’s first-class series of events and delivered memorable victories, emotional moments, and historic achievements across all categories.
This is what the champions said after standing on top of the podium in Istanbul.
Mo Sheung Grace Lau of Hong Kong China:
“I am very happy because it is the first time that I have won a gold medal at the first event of the year, and I am pleased that I managed to achieve this result.”
Eray Samdan of Turkiye:
“This is my last gold medal, it is my last competition. I had an amazing career because I was able to take every gold medal in every competition I participated in: the European Championships, The World Games, World Championships, the Mediterranean Games, the Islamic Solidarity Games, Olympic Games. I want to thank all those who have supported me and everyone who helped me.”
Agnes Nyman of Sweden:
“I am very happy. This has been a very big dream of mine, so I am pleased that I achieved this, and I am really happy about it.”
Iurik Ogannisian of WKF-1
“It is a great feeling to win gold. We had good preparation, rational, correct thinking and, most importantly, we had the right attitude.”
Bella Samasheva of Kazakhstan:
“I'm feeling very good. It was my first gold medal competition after a year off, and I am glad that I have many more competitions ahead.”
Abdalla Abdelaziz of Egypt:
“I am so proud of myself, so proud of my team, of my country, of all the efforts I made over the last weeks and last years, and I hope I can continue seeing the Egyptian flag on top.”
Kakeru Nishiyama of Japan:
“After losing against Moto at the All-Japan Championships in December, I'm pleased that I was able to secure a proper rematch here. I'll keep building up my wins one by one and strive to keep winning from here on out.”
Fatma Naz Yenen of Turkiye
“I have no words. This is so special for me, it is my first gold medal in international competitions, so I am very happy with this result. It is even more special for me because I took part in this event as a home quota. It is amazing for me.”
Omar Osman of Egypt:
“This victory means a lot to me because when you win, you see all the sacrifices and all the hard work you put in pay off, so it means the world to me.”
Nisrine Brouk of Morocco:
“I am very happy because I worked hard and fought very hard for this medal. I feel proud that I was able to bring this gold medal to my country, Morocco.”
Rodrigo Rojas of Chile
“It's an incredible feeling. I've been fighting for this for many years. I'm from the older generation, so I'm happy to have finally achieved it after so many injuries and so many things that have happened in my sporting career.”
Sofya Berultseva of Kazakhstan
“I feel very good and happy because it has been a long time since the last time I won gold at the Premier League. My last time was four years ago, and in these four years, I have been in finals but never won.”
The Karate One Premier League Istanbul set the tone for an exciting season ahead and put the spotlight on the new stars of the sport!
