The Portuguese Ana Cruz won this Thursday the first Portuguese medal in the 2023 European Games by advancing to the semifinals of the kata tournament, a karate discipline, which always entitles at least bronze.
Cruz, 28, prevailed in the kata group A, beating the Polish Anna Kowalska to open, adding 40.40 points to the opponent’s 37.90, before beating the Czech Veronika Miskova by a margin minimum, 41.90 compared to 41.70, sealing the passage to the semifinals.
#TeamPortugal #EG2023 | DAY 3️⃣
Ana Cruz guarantees to win a medal in the Karate competition at the Kraków-Malopolska 2023 European Games. The only thing left to do is find out which one! Decision this afternoon!#COPortugal #SomosUnidad #KrakowMałopolska2023
Francisco Paraiso/COP pic.twitter.com/3LRgkrwcAx
– Portuguese Olympic Committee (COP) (@COPPORTUGAL) June 22, 2023
The athlete from the Grupo Musical e Desportivo Manique de Baixo, who is making her debut at the European Games, then fell to the French Helvetia Taily (42.30 against 41.20), but she still advanced to the semifinals in Bielsko Biala, about 100 kilometers from Krakow .
The ‘socks’, in which the Portuguese still expects a rival, are scheduled for 3:50 p.m. local time, at 2:50 p.m. in Lisbon, with the gold in dispute at 5:40 p.m. (4:40 p.m. in Lisbon), in the event of classification.
Cruz, 13th in the world ranking, finished fifth in the European category and lives a new moment this Thursday representing the country in an international competition.
Portugal is also represented in karate by Tiago Duarte, 20, who will compete on Friday in kumite -75 kg.
This could be the first Portuguese medal in Krakow 2023, as there are still three finals in canoeing to go before that, and it will at least equal the best karate performance at the European Games, after Patrícia Esparteiro’s bronze in Minsk 2019.
Kata is a karate discipline in which there is no physical confrontation, but an exhibition of techniques that is qualified by seven judges, annulling two notes in each execution (the highest and the lowest).
The Kraków2023 European Games will take place until July 2 in Krakow and in the Polish region of Malopolska, with 30 sports on the program and 48 participating countries, including Portugal, with 206 athletes.
Source: TSF
