ITANAGAR, 6 Jul: India clinched the top spot at the 9th South Asian Karate Championship 2025, winning 23 gold, 24 silver and 12 bronze medals. The championship was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 2 to 6 July.
The karatekas from Arunachal Pradesh Amateur Karate-Do Association (APAKA) contributed five medals, including three gold and two silvers, to India’s medal tally, APAKA general secretary John Bagang inf-ormed.
The trio of Abab Sangdo, John Sangdo and Sunday Bokar won one gold medal in the senior male team kata.
Competing in male U-21 individual kata, John Sangdo also won a gold medal, while Mesom Singhi clinched the third gold medal in the senior female individual kata.
Lipin Ete and Mepung Langdo won a silver medal each in the female U-21 individual kata and the female individual kumite in the below 67 kg category, respectively.
Nepal won the second position, winning 21 gold, 9 silver and 20 bronze medals, while host Sri Lanka secured the third position with 16 gold, 20 silver and 23 bronze medals.
Bangladesh won 3 gold, 7 silver and 14 bronze medals to finish fourth, while Pakistan won 1 silver and 7 bronze medals and finished fifth. Bhutan finished at the bottom with 1 silver and one bronze medal.
The APAKA congratulated all the players for their brilliant perf-ormance and clinching the medals for India under the umbrella of the KIO, led by its president Hanshi Bharat Sharma and general secretary Kyoshi Sanjeev Kumar Jangra.
