Greek athlete Konstantinos Mastrogiannis clinched the gold medal at the 59th European Karate Championship in Zadar, Croatia.
Competing in the 84kg Kumite category, Mastrogiannis triumphed over Dutch competitor Brian Timmerman with a final score of 7-2, securing the top spot on the podium. The 23-year-old sensation from Doxa Galatsiou made an impressive journey to the final, causing an upset in the semi-final before claiming victory in the championship battle to be crowned European champion in his division.
Adding to Greece's success in karate, Mastrogiannis also claimed gold at the 2020 European Karate Junior and Cadet and U21 Championships in Hungary. In the U21 Kumite Male 84 kg event, he defeated France's Raybak Abdesselem in the final, with Croatia's Renato Resetar and Ukraine's Andrii Zaplitnyi taking the bronze medals. Greek athlete Stefanos Xenos secured silver in the U21 Kumite Male 60 kg category.
Furthermore, Antonia Moysidou brought home silver for Greece in the Junior Kata Female competition. These achievements contributed to Greece's presence in the overall medal standings, tying for tenth place with Romania. Turkey, France, and Azerbaijan held the top three spots, showcasing a strong performance from the Greek contingent in European karate competitions. Additionally, Greece had four athletes placing seventh in their respective categories at the Budapest event.
