Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 31) – Filipino karateka and e-kata world No. 1 James de los Santos closed the month of May with five golds added to his collection.
De Los Santos won 23 golds this year and 59 golds since joining virtual kata meets last year at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 31-year-old Filipino kata specialist continued his mastery over rival Matias Moreno-Domont after defeating the Swiss bet in the finals of the Katana Intercontinental League-Final Four eTournament last May 12, eKarate World Series #3 last May 21, and Athlete’s eTournament World Series #3 last May 23.
De Los Santos also outlasted Morocco’s Abdellatif Choukri with a close 25.32-25.28 score in the finals of the Okinawa eTournament World Series #2 last May 21.
He also rekindled his rivalry with United States’ Alfredo Bustamante in the Adidas USA Karate Open over the weekend, where the Filipino prevailed against the American bet in the finals with a score of 24.4-23.9.
De Los Santos emphasized that keeping his winning streak takes a lot of effort, especially in being consistent with his training and taking part in more tournaments to maintain his status as the top-ranked e-kata athlete in the world.
“I’m aiming to surpass my record last year, which was bringing an overall total of 36 gold medals. I’ll continue to work harder to reach that goal. I would love to compete and try to win as many tournaments as I can this year,” he told CNN Philippines on Monday.
The Filipino e-kata sensation also won four golds in e-kata meets early this month.
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De Los Santos maintains his lead in the world rankings with 27,730 points. He is followed by Moreno-Domont with 15,375 points, and Bustamante with 11,335 points.
