James De Los Santos beats world no. 1 to win gold medal in virtual kata tourney

James De Los Santos has beaten the world no. 1 in the virtual kata rankings to win the gold medal at the Athlete’s E-Tournament Series 1.

It was his fourth gold medal in virtual kata tournaments, but the victory was sweeter this time as he edged top-ranked Eduardo Garcia of Portugal.

"This was the third time I faced him, and it's been competitive," De Los Santos said. "This was special as he's No. 1 and I'm No. 2 in the world rankings for the E-Tournaments."

The Pinoy karateka bested the United States and Bolivia in the quarterfinals and the semifinals to set up the showdown with Garcia.

De Los Santos is eyeing the no. 1 spot in the world rankings. He previously won gold medals in Balkan Open E-Tournament, Korokotta Cup 2020 E-tournament, and Palestine International Karate Cup.

He also bagged a silver medal in the SportData e-Tournament World Series. —MGP, GMA News