Saturday, November 4th, 2023.- Chilean Valentina Toro kept the dream of winning another gold medal in female's 55 kg karate alive after advancing through the morning's qualifying round with three wins and one loss.

Although she started with a narrow 5-6 defeat in her first match against Colombian Geraldine Peña, the local athlete didn't let it affect her and immediately benefited from the fact that her fight against Canadian Hana Furomoto did not take place due to the North American's absence. This allowed her to enter her third match with less physical strain.

This time, the Chilean defeated Argentinian Yulianne Novak with a score of 6-4. Finally, in her fourth bout, Toro secured her spot in the final rounds, where medals will be awarded, by defeating Paraguayan Jennifer Servín 8-0.

The karateka from the host country of Santiago 2023, will begin her quest for gold starting at 4:40 p.m. against the American Hikari Allen.

Written by Luis Avendaño; translated by Andrés Castro / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport
Photo by Luis Hidalgo / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport