Bulgarian karateka Ivet Goranova won the Olympic title in women’s kumite 55 kg at Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Bulgarian karateka Ivet Goranova won the Olympic title in women’s kumite 55 kg at Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She won the gold medal after another brilliant victory by 5-1 versus Ukrainian Anzhelika Terliuga.

At first Ivet Goranova asked for medical help, but her injury was minor and she returned to the tatami.

She won all five matches in the Nippon Budokan arena and will remain in history as the winner of the first Olympic karate gold medal in kumite competition. In the semi-final, the Bulgarian karateka defeated the Austrian Bettina Plank by 4-3.

“I can’t describe what I felt during the award ceremony. My legs trembled on the stairs. I couldn’t control my emotions. An unforgettable experience, no one can understand it”, said Ivet Goranova after the final. “Now is the time for Bulgarians to celebrate for the medal. We succeeded, we did it. So many years, so many deprivations and we are finally on the brink”, added she.

Ivet Goranova is a 21-year-old Bulgarian karateka. She won the gold medal in the women’s kumite 55 kg event at the 2019 European Games held in Minsk, Belarus.