Kakeru Nishiyama wins the fourth Grand Winner title in a row
The final day of the Karate 1 – Premier League Rabat 2025 featured medal bouts and concluded with crowning the 2025 Grand Winners.
Rabat, Morocco – June 1, 2025 — Mo Sheung Grace Lau (HKG) surprised the 2024 Grand Winner Maho Ono (JPN) with a Female Kata win in Rabat's final match. With this victory, Lau secured the 2025 Grand Winner title.
While the current World and European Female Kumite -50kg silver medallist Erminia Perfetto (ITA) wins gold and 18-year-old Christina Triada Pappa (GRE) silver in Rabat, Moldir Zhangbyrbay (KAZ) claimed the 2025 Grand Winner trophy.
2024 Grand Winner Valentina Toro Meneses claimed the Female Kumite -55kg gold medal by defeating Tsui-Ping Ku (TPE) while the 2025 Grand Winner title is won earlier, by Ivet Goranova (BUL).
With Ippon scoring just 3 seconds before the time ran out, Anastasiia Semenenko (GER) secures her first Female Kumite -61kg Premier League gold medal. Brazilian Barbara Rodrigues claimed the silver in the category while the 2025 Grand Winner went to Assel Kanay (KAZ).
Thalya Sombe (FRA) won her third Female Kumite -68kg Premier League gold medal while Hadir Hendy (EGY) took the silver in Rabat. It was a double celebration for Sombe family as Thalya’s sister Tricya Sombe won bronze medal in Female Kumite 61kg category. Swiss Elena Quirici has won the Female Kumite 68kg Grand Winner title for the fourth time, after doing so in 2024, 2023 and 2016.
Maria Torres Garcia (ESP) won the Female Kumite +68kg gold medal in Rabat and claimed her second consecutive Grand Winner trophy. Rochelle Walters (ENG) took the silver medal in Rabat.
Kakeru Nishiyama (JPN) is the only athlete in all categories to win a gold medal at all 2025 Premier League tournaments. He also claimed eight Premier League gold medals in a row while having the perfect winning streak in 2025 and 2024. He has won fourth Male Kata Grand Winner titles in a row. Ariel Torres Gutierrez clamied the silver medal in Rabat.
Results of Karate 1 Premier League - Rabat 2025
The 2025 Grand Winner in the Male Kumite 60kg was decided based on the second criteria as both Eray Samdan (TUR) and Stefanos Xenos (GRE) tied in the Premier League ranking with 2640 points. Samdan won two gold medals in 2025 which secured him the 2025 Grand Winner title.
Even though Afeef Ghaith (JOR) won his first Premier League Male Kumite 67kg gold medal, Yugo Kozak (JPN) secured the 2025 Grand Winner trophy.
The 2024 and 2022 Male Kumite -75kg Grand Winner Abdalla Abdelaziz (EGY) added the 2025 Grand Winner title to his collection after winning the third Premier League gold medal of the season in Rabat. The 2023 Grand Winner Quentin Mahaude (BEL) settled for silver.
Mohammad Aljafari (JOR) claimed his fourth Male Kumite -84kg Premier League gold medal. In the final match in Rabat he defeted Konstantinos Mastrogiannis (GRE) who took the silver. Neveretheless, the 2025 Grand Winner is Youssef Badawy (EGY) who claimed the trophy for the second consecutive year.
Italy’s Matteo Avanzini won his second Male Kumite +84kg Premier League gold medal be defeting Taha Tarek Mahmoud (EGY) in the Rabat’s final. Nevertheless, Mahmoud has won the third Grand Winner title, after claiming it in 2024 and 2022.
Karate 1 Premier League - 2025 Grand Winners:
- Female Kata Mo Sheung Grace Lau (HKG)
- Female Kumite 50kg Moldir Zhangbyrbay (KAZ)
- Female Kumite 55kg Ivet Goranova (BUL)
- Female Kumite 61kg Assel Kanay (KAZ)
- Female Kumite 68kg Elena Quirici (SUI)
- Female Kumite +68kg Maria Torres (ESP)
- Male Kata Nishiyama Kakeru (JPN)
- Male Kumite 60kg Eray Samdan (TUR)
- Male Kumite 67kg Yugo Kozaki (JPN)
- Male Kumite 75kg Abdalla Abdelaziz (EGY)
- Male Kumite 84kg Youssef Badawy (EGY)
- Male Kumite +84kg Taha Tarek Mahmoud (EGY)
Written by Valentina Kramaric Pukljak