THERE is no stopping world No. 1 online karate champion James de los Santos.
De los Santos struck for two more gold medals in the Okinawa e-Tournament World Series 2 and NOX Dojo Markham City Open e-Tournament over the weekend to bring his total haul to 21 gold medals.
“I am really happy winning my 20th and 21st gold medals. I’m very much motivated to continue to widen the gap in the virtual kata world rankings,” said De los Santos in his official Facebook page.
“Thank you God for keeping us healthy and safe. Thank you to my sponsor Kaffea Healthy Coffee Blend. Thank you to my coach Masa Saito. Thank you to all those who continue to support us,” added the 30-year-old mainstay of the International Shotokan Karate Federation Philippines (ISKFP).
“It makes me even prouder that my students from MKKPI — Julia Ian Marcos, Fatima A-Isha Hamsain and Christina Colonia — also did well at the Okinawa World Series. They really improved a lot.”
Delos Santos defeated Matias Moreno Domont of Switzerland in the final of the NOX Dojo Markham City Open, 25.3-24.2.
Before reaching the final, De los Santos won over Ali Mirkarimi of Canada 24.9-20-9 in the quarterfinal and Alfredo Bustamante of the United States, 25.4-24.5 in the semifinals
In the Okinawa event, De los Santos triumphed over Nejc Sternisa of Slovenia, 24.8-24.2, in the semifinal, and Bustamante, 24.8-24.4, in the final.
“I will continue to work hard and bring honors to our country. Now that I am No. 1, I know I have to continue to get better and maintain the top spot as long as possible,” said De los Santos during the Oct. 29 edition of the TOPS “Usapang Sports on Air” via Zoom.
“To become a better athlete, I always have to compete against myself. I have to focus on what I can achieve, like improving my own score,” added De los Santos, a former national team member.
Last month, De los Santos captured a total of seven gold. medals to emerge s No. 1 in the world.
De los Santos topped the Pune Open India Karate e-tournament, the 3rd Katana Inter-Continental Karate League e-Tournament, Golden League Karate e-Tournament Series 2, Venice Cup 2020, the Okinawa E-Tournament World Series, the first Euro Grand Prix and the 2nd e-Karate Games 2020.
He also won in seven events, the Tokaido Maribor Open eTournament, 4th SportData eTournament World Series, Hatamoto Kai Mitad Del Mundo E-Tournament, E-Champions Trophy World Series, the Miyamoto Musashi Five Rings and the 2nd Dutch Open E-Tournament last September.
