Philippine Women’s kata team competes in Karate World Cup in Spain

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Philippine Women’s Kata team flew to Pamplona, Spain to campaign in the Karate World Cup National Team Championships that will kick off on Friday, November 22 until 24.

Among the team is Cebuana kata athlete Allison Kyle Quiroga of Mandaue City and national coach Rhodee Saavedra who are part of the slim Philippine delegation sent to Spain for this prestigious competuition.

The rest of the team is comprised of Ricca Torres, Samantha Veguillas, and Southeast Asian Games gold medalist and Asian Games bronze medalist Sakura Alforte.

Joining Saavedra on the coaching side is fellow national team coach Sonny Montalvo.

The team has a wealth of experience competing in international stints this year which includes the Asian Karate Federation Championships.

“This is a historic moment for Philippine karate,” said Richard Lim, President of Karate Pilipinas Sports Federation, before the team’s departure. “To compete among the top 20 countries in the world is a tremendous achievement and a testament to the hard work of our athletes and their coaches. We are proud of them and confident they will represent the country with honor.”

They will compete under Group D in the round-robin preliminaries. They will go up against Japan, France, Morocco, and Portugal, while the entire competition features over 20 nations with the Philippines being one of the very few fortunate to qualify.

Quiroga, herself, is one of the Philippines’ most experienced kata athlete who already piled up accolades in her carer that includes the Thailand Open 2023 and a commendable fourth-place finish at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia last year. / mme

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