Damián Quintero poses with his silver medal at the European Karate Championships. RFEK

Damián Quintero defends his silver medal at the European Karate Championships

The Torremolinos local repeated his feat in Turkey, while María Torres picked up bronze for the national team after losing individually

MARINA RIVAS

Monday, 30 May 2022, 13:54

Local Malaga karatecas Damián Quintero and María Torres founds themselves on the podium once again on Saturday at the European Karate Championships held in Gaziantep (Turkey). Quintero picked up silver after losing in the final to Ali Sofouglu; while Torres was third for the national team after losing in the quarter-final as an individual.

Quintero did his homework and pulled off an impressive performance in the final, beating all his scores up until that point in the tournament. He performed his kata (formalised sequence of movements that show offensive and defensive postures) brilliantly, receiving 26.62 in his final score and picking up his 23rd career medal.

However, it was his Turkish rival, Ali Sofouglu, who defended his European title with a performance worthy of 27.34 points.

"It wasn't meant to be, another silver in the European championship. I'm happy with the work, we'll continue moving forward because there's not long before the World Games, which is the other objective of the season," Quintero said after the final.

Spanish bronze

Minutes before his second-place finish, young María Torres was back on the podium with a third-place finish. Her individual performance left a lot to be desired, but for the national team she excelled.

Torres won every single kumite bout and was a crucial part of her side's bronze medal, which she achieved alongside María Espinosa, Carlota Fernández y María Isabel Nieto by beating Sweden 0-2 and bouncing back from their defeat to Croatia the day before.