Saturday, November 4th, 2023.- In an outstanding day, Chilean karate athlete Rodrigo Rojas secured the 12th medal for Chile by defeating the Brazilian Lucas Fernandes in the final, bringing them within one gold medal of matching the haul from Lima 2019.

At the Centro de Deportes de Contacto, Rojas had already beaten his opponent earlier on Saturday in the preliminary stage in Group B. Now, in a closely contested match, he emerged victorious with a score of 2-1.

Rojas had an unforgettable Saturday with a solid preliminary performance, winning every bout in Group B. He defeated Anel Castillo from the Dominican Republic (4-0), then overcame Brian Irr from the United States (2-0), followed by a 9-0 victory over Marcos Molina from Argentina, and finally a 5-4 win against Lucas Fernandes from Brazil.

This marks the 12th gold medal for Team Chile, maintaining their position in seventh place in the overall medal standings with a total of 63 medals.

Written by Patricio Abarca; translated by Vicente Valdivia / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport
Photo by Andrés Piña / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport