Steven Da Costa gold medalist in karate – 67 kg

And seven gold medals for the French delegation! Karateka Steven Da Costa (24) won the Olympic title on Thursday August 5 in kumite in the under 67 kg category, defeating Turkish Eray Samdan 5-0 in the final of the competition. This medal is by no means trivial. If it does not represent a major surprise for Da Costa, world champion in 2018 and European champion in 2019, the context that accompanies it makes it all the more tasty.

The Frenchman accomplished his performance in the legendary Nippon Budokan in Tokyo which, even empty of its 14,000 spectators, remains the absolute temple of martial arts. Above all, it was a unique opportunity to shine in mondovision. Newcomer to the menu of the Games, karate will leave the Olympic sphere in Paris in 2024. With this medal, Steven Da Costa has therefore entered into posterity.

Unlike kata, another branch of karate, kumite induces direct contact between the two athletes. Depending on the areas affected, they earn one (yuko), two (waza-ari) or three (ippon) points and must score as many as possible in three minutes.

Only one defeat in the group stage

Before his final, Steven Da Costa eliminated the Kazakh Darkhan Assalidov in the semi-final (5-2). An opponent who was world champion of – 60 kg in 2008, which represented a trap for Steven Da Costa. The Frenchman indicated shortly before the fight that he had never met this opponent. And for good reason, they do not usually appear in the same category, but the – 60 kg and – 67 kg compete together in an Olympic tournament.

The karateka from Meurthe-et-Moselle entered the track in the early hours of the morning, at 10 a.m. (Tokyo time), in the group stage. Winner 4-0 against Hamoon Derafshipour (refugee team), 11-2 against Kalvins Kalnins (Latvia), 2-0 against Andrés Madera (Venezuela), Da Costa only lost against Abdel Almasatfa (Jordan), 4-7 . The French even paid the luxury of saving himself, taking advantage of the package of the Italian Angelo Crescenzo.

“Now that the medal is assured, I must free myself, Da Costa said after the hens. For two years that I have been qualified [pour les Jeux], I’m under pressure. I imagined that if I did not bring anything, it was shame ”. The French can be reassured. His hometown, Mont-Saint-Martin, will undoubtedly make him a triumph on his return.