Greek karateka Stefanos Xenos won the gold medal in the men’s kumite 60 kg event at the 2023 World Karate Championships held in Budapest, Hungary on Saturday.
The 22-year-old athlete beat Kaisar Alpysbay of Kazakhstan in the final to win the gold, recording the greatest honor of his career.
The Greek fighter was the aggressor in the final and wrapped up a 7-1 triumph.
Stefanos Xenos’s journey to the top of world karate
In his brief career until now, Xenos has already won several medals in international competitions.
In 2021 he won the gold medal in the category of U21 Male Kumite -60kg, during the Under 21 Karate World Championship.
In May 2021, Xenos won one of the bronze medals in the men’s kumite 60 kg event at the European Karate Championships held in Poreč, Croatia.
In June 2021, he competed at the World Olympic Qualification Tournament held in Paris, France hoping to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. That same year, Xenos also competed in the men’s 60 kg event at the 2021 World Karate Championships held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Xenos won one of the bronze medals in the men’s 60 kg event at the 2022 European Karate Championships held in Gaziantep, Turkey. He also competed in the men’s 60 kg event at the 2022 Mediterranean Games held in Oran, Algeria.
Xenos won the silver medal in the men’s 60 kg event at the 2023 European Karate Championships held in Guadalajara, Spain. He also won the silver medal in the men’s 60 kg event at the 2023 European Games held in Poland.
A few months later, Xenos won the gold medal in the men’s 60 kg event at the 2023 World Karate Championships held in Budapest, Hungary. He defeated Kaisar Alpysbay of Kazakhstan in his gold medal match.
Karate World Championships
More than 1,000 athletes from over 100 countries competed in a record-breaking Karate World Championships in Budapest.
Marton Falusi, head of the Budapest 2023 Organising Committee, has revealed that 1,149 athletes from 103 nations had registered to participate at the event in the Hungarian capital.
The figure surpasses the previous record of 1,117 set in Madrid five years ago.
It is also a significant increase in the number featured in Dubai in 2021, although that tournament was held under COVID-19 restrictions.
Hungary staged the World Karate Federation’s (WKF) flagship event for the first time, with the competition held at the Papp László Budapest Sports Arena.
“The World Championships are the pinnacle of our sport, the most anticipated event on our calendar, and the tournament that all the Karate family is excitedly looking forward to arriving every two years,” said WKF President Antonio Espinós.
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