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Junna Tsukii fans Olympic hopes with gold in Karate Premier League

Fil-Japanese karateka Junna Tsukii snatched her first-ever gold in the Karate Premier League Sunday after conquering Kazakhstan's Moldir Zhangbyrbay, 2-0, in the female kumite -50kg in Lisbon, Portugal.

"Look at my first gold medal on the world caliber stage," she posted on Instagram. "I would like to thank everyone who have supported me to this point this medal is for YOU."

Tsukii advanced to the Finals after defeating two-time world champion and world no. 8 Alexandra Recchia of France, 2-0, in the semifinals. To get there, she scored upsets against Iran's Sara Bahmanyar, top-ranked in Asia, in the third round and then world no. 6 Radwa Sayed of Egypt in the quarterfinals.

Tsukii, currently ranked tenth in the world in the 50kg division and 15th in the Olympic rankings, needs every win she can muster if she is to book a direct ticket to Tokyo. Only three weight classes in the women's division will be contested in Tokyo, with Tsukii's 50kg weight class getting absorbed into the 55kg class. Only the top four in the world - the top two in 50kg and top two in 55kg - get direct qualification to the Olympiad. Miho Miyahara of the host nation has already qualified.

If Tsukii falls short of the top four of the world rankings, she has another chance to become an Olympian in June's Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in France. Filipino karatekas Jamie Lim, Joane Orbon, Sharif Afif, Ivan Agustin, and Alwyn Batican are already training in Turkey in preparation for that qualifier.

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