The 2026 Karate One Premier League in Leshan arrived at a decisive point in the season and lived up to every expectation. As the third stop on this year’s elite World Karate Federation circuit, following Istanbul and Rome and preceding the final event in Rabat on June 12–14, the tournament in China carried enormous weight. It was not only another major international karate event. It was also one of the last real opportunities for athletes to collect crucial points in the race for the 2026 Grand Winner titles. By the end of the weekend, Leshan had delivered everything that defines top-level karate: dominant champions, breakthrough winners, emotional home triumphs, tactical battles, and a growing sense that the season’s hierarchy is beginning to take shape.
Held at the Leshan Olympic Sports Centre from April 10 to 12, the event brought together 340 athletes from 60 countries, once again confirming the global depth of Karate One’s premier series. Participation was limited to athletes ranked among the top 100 in the WKF world ranking, ensuring that every category featured world-class depth from the opening rounds onward. Leshan also represented the third time a Karate One Premier League event has been staged in China, after Shanghai in 2019 and Hangzhou in 2025, further underlining the country’s growing importance in the development of international karate.
A tournament with more than medals at stake
The Premier League has increasingly become the measuring stick for elite karate outside the World Championships, and Leshan reminded everyone why. The event came at a stage of the season where every result mattered. Some athletes arrived looking to confirm their dominance after strong starts in Istanbul and Rome, while others saw China as their chance to revive a campaign, climb the standings, or launch a genuine Grand Winner challenge. With only Rabat still to come after this weekend, the pressure in Leshan was unmistakable.
This was also an event with clear institutional significance. Ahead of the competition, coach and referee meetings were held to reinforce standards, explain rule updates, and support consistency across the event. The WKF described those meetings as an important part of maintaining the quality and fairness of its top-tier competitions. The importance of the event was further highlighted by the visit of IOC Honorary Member and Chinese Olympic Committee Vice President Yu Zaiqing, whose presence added symbolic weight to a tournament that also served as a showcase for karate’s continued growth in China.
Day one sets the tone with familiar rivalries and fresh surprises
From the opening day, Leshan showed that this would not be a routine stop on the calendar. The first six finals produced a compelling mix of expected contenders and new names breaking through on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
In female kata, one of the most recognisable rivalries in the sport was renewed as Maho Ono of Japan and Mo Sheung Grace Lau of Hong Kong, China advanced to the final. Both athletes have become reference points in the division, and their latest meeting promised another battle shaped by precision, rhythm, authority and world-class execution. Lau in particular arrived in Leshan already looking like one of the clearest Grand Winner favourites of the season.
In male kumite -60kg, Nuri Kilic of Türkiye booked another major final and earned the opportunity to face Japan’s Hiromu Hashimoto, a former Grand Winner and one of the division’s most respected names. In female kumite -50kg, Venezuela’s Yorgelis Salazar and Algeria’s Cylia Ouikene advanced to what looked on paper like one of the most balanced and explosive finals of the event. Salazar entered with established pedigree, while Ouikene continued to show that she belongs among the elite of the category.
One of the day’s most notable stories came in male kumite -67kg, where Abdul Vakhkhob Rashidov of Uzbekistan reached his first Premier League final. That breakthrough mattered. In a competition structure designed to reward consistency against elite opposition, reaching a first final is never accidental. It usually signals the arrival of a new contender, and Rashidov’s Leshan run quickly became one of the tournament’s most important emerging narratives.
There were also strong storylines in female kumite -55kg and male kumite -75kg. Valeriya Dimova produced one of the surprises of the day by reaching the -55kg final, while China’s Yuchun Wei ensured that the home crowd would have a local favourite to support in Sunday’s medal sessions. In -75kg, Nurkanat Azhikanov of Kazakhstan and Enes Bulut of Türkiye moved into the final, setting up a clash between a proven top-level contender and an athlete chasing the biggest title of his career.
Day two deepens the drama
If Friday established the tone of the tournament, Saturday expanded its narrative range. More finalists emerged, and several of the event’s strongest themes became clearer: Japan’s continuing depth in kata, China’s growing status as both host and competitor, and the rise of new challengers across multiple kumite divisions.
Male kata delivered one of the most interesting results of the day when Kotaro Ohata of Japan defeated Ariel Torres Gutierrez of the United States to reach his first Karate One Premier League final. Waiting for him there was Kakeru Nishiyama, the dominant figure of the category and one of the defining athletes of the whole Premier League era. Nishiyama had already won in Istanbul and Rome, and Leshan gave him another chance to tighten his grip on the race for Grand Winner honours.
In female kumite -61kg, local star Li Gong used home support brilliantly to reach the final. Competing in her home region of Sichuan, Gong was one of the event’s most significant athletes not just because of her skill, but because of what she represents for Chinese karate. Her presence deep in the competition felt like a perfect fit for a tournament designed to highlight the sport’s growth in the country. Awaiting her in the final was Assel Kanay of Kazakhstan, the reigning Grand Winner and one of the category’s most reliable international performers.
Elsewhere, Jordan’s Mohammad Aljafari advanced to another big final in male kumite -84kg, again reminding everyone that he remains one of the most dangerous and exciting athletes on the circuit. In female kumite -68kg, Elina Sieliemienieva of Ukraine progressed all the way to the gold-medal bout, while Aleksandra Meshkova also reached her first Premier League final. In male kumite +84kg, Chile’s Rodrigo Rojas and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Anes Bostandzic moved into the title match, and in female kumite +68kg, Sofya Berultseva of Kazakhstan once again put herself in position to extend her outstanding early-season run.
China celebrates as Li Gong and Yuchun Wei shine at home
Finals day in Leshan belonged in large part to the host nation. In a tournament already framed as an important moment for karate in China, the home team received exactly the type of performance that gives an event a lasting identity.
Yuchun Wei was one of the stars of the day in female kumite -55kg. Competing in front of local supporters, she defeated Valeriya Dimova by a commanding 8-0 score to claim her first Karate One Premier League title. It was not merely a win. It was a statement performance: clean, convincing and emotionally resonant in a home event where the crowd was eager for Chinese success.
Li Gong then gave the home fans another major moment in female kumite -61kg with an emphatic 11-2 victory over Assel Kanay. Her triumph was one of the most authoritative performances of the day and further reinforced her status as one of China’s leading international karate names. For the organisers, for the spectators, and for Chinese karate more broadly, those two victories gave Leshan an unmistakable local heartbeat. This was not just an international event hosted in China. It was an event in which Chinese athletes played central roles in the biggest moments.
Established stars continue their reigns
While the Chinese celebrations became one of the emotional highlights of the weekend, several of the sport’s most established stars also left Leshan looking stronger than ever.
In female kata, Mo Sheung Grace Lau defeated Maho Ono 7-0 in another high-level final and tightened her control over the category. Her season now looks increasingly like the march of a Grand Winner in waiting. Lau continues to combine technical precision with remarkable consistency, and in Leshan she again proved that she remains the benchmark in women’s kata.
In male kata, Kakeru Nishiyama produced a similarly dominant display, beating Kotaro Ohata 7-0 to extend his extraordinary run in Premier League competition. Nishiyama’s consistency over the past seasons has made him one of the most recognisable and admired figures in world karate, and Leshan only strengthened that standing.
Sofya Berultseva of Kazakhstan continued her outstanding campaign in female kumite +68kg by defeating Nepal’s Arika Gurung and securing a third Premier League title in three events this season. Rodrigo Rojas of Chile also strengthened his Grand Winner credentials by taking gold in male kumite +84kg, while Mohammad Aljafari of Jordan delivered one of the day’s most entertaining finals to claim the title in male kumite -84kg. Together, those results helped clarify which athletes now carry the strongest momentum into Rabat.
Breakthrough winners give the tournament fresh energy
One of the best features of Leshan was that it did not belong only to the established elite. Several athletes used the event to produce genuine career-defining performances.
Nuri Kilic of Türkiye claimed his first Karate One Premier League gold medal in male kumite -60kg with an impressive victory over Hiromu Hashimoto. Yorgelis Salazar of Venezuela won a dramatic female kumite -50kg final against Cylia Ouikene on senshuu after the bout ended 6-6, once again demonstrating the experience and resilience that have made her one of the most respected fighters in the category.
Perhaps the most important breakthrough came from Uzbekistan’s Abdul Vakhkhob Rashidov in male kumite -67kg. Just weeks after taking bronze in Rome, he now captured his first Premier League gold by defeating Luca Maresca of Italy. That kind of trajectory can change a season. Rashidov left Leshan not as a promising outsider, but as a title-winning athlete capable of threatening the very best in the division.
Aleksandra Meshkova also stood out by taking her first Premier League gold in female kumite -68kg. Leshan therefore succeeded not only in rewarding established excellence, but also in refreshing the competitive storylines across the circuit.
Ukraine’s strong weekend deserves special attention
One of the clearest additional storylines from Leshan was Ukraine’s strong overall performance. According to the official medal statistics, Ukraine finished the event with one silver medal and two bronze medals, a return that placed the country among the notable medal-winning nations of the weekend.
The standout Ukrainian result came from Elina Sieliemienieva, who fought her way to the final in female kumite -68kg and ultimately finished with silver after an excellent run through the category. Reaching a Premier League final at this level is a major achievement in itself, and Sieliemienieva’s performance confirmed once again that Ukraine remains capable of producing elite kumite athletes even in one of the most competitive divisions on the circuit.
Ukraine’s presence in Leshan, however, was not limited to one athlete. Team and event-related social media coverage from Leshan also highlighted Dariia Bulay and Sandra Sholokhova among the visible Ukrainian names at the competition, underlining the depth and profile of the Ukrainian squad on site. Combined with Sieliemienieva’s run to silver and the nation’s two bronze medals in the official table, Ukraine once again showed that it remains an important force in international WKF karate.
That matters beyond one weekend. In a season where the Premier League is increasingly defined by both dominant champions and emerging national stories, Ukraine’s Leshan performance stood out as a reminder of the country’s competitive resilience. The medals, the finalist, and the broader team visibility all pointed in the same direction: Ukraine remains highly relevant on the world stage and could still play an important role in Rabat when the season reaches its climax.
A decisive step toward Rabat
As the dust settled in Leshan, the event felt less like a standalone tournament and more like a turning point in the 2026 season. Some Grand Winner races now appear close to being decided, especially where athletes such as Grace Lau, Kakeru Nishiyama and Sofya Berultseva continue to show near-total command. In other categories, Leshan created fresh uncertainty and new momentum through athletes like Rashidov, Meshkova, Li Gong and Yuchun Wei.
The event also confirmed something larger about the current state of Karate One. The circuit is thriving because it combines continuity and renewal. Great champions still define key categories, but every event also produces new finalists, new medalists and new national success stories. In Leshan, China celebrated home glory, Ukraine underlined its enduring quality, and several rising names moved from promise to proof.
Now the road leads to Rabat, where the 2026 Karate One Premier League season will conclude. But if Rabat crowns the winners of the year, Leshan may well be remembered as the weekend when the shape of the season became truly visible. It was a competition full of pressure, quality and emotion — exactly what a Premier League event should be.
All You Need to Know About Karate One Premier League Leshan – WKF
Watch Day 1 of Karate One Premier League Leshan LIVE! – WKF
Surprising Finalists Emerge on Opening Day of Karate One Premier League Leshan – WKF
Coach and Referee Meetings Set Clear Path for Karate One Premier League Leshan – WKF
IOC Honorary Member Yu Zaiqing Visits Karate One Premier League in Leshan – WKF
New Challengers Rise on Day Two of Karate One Premier League Leshan – WKF
Li Gong, Yuchun Wei and Grand Winners Delight on Final Day of Karate One Premier League Leshan – WKF
Karate One Premier League Rome 2026: Italy Makes History.
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