Rabat – Moroccan karateka Souhaib Azibou has qualified for the final of the boys’ under-61 kg junior category at the World Karate Championships for Cadets, Juniors, and U21, taking place in Bielsko-Biała, Poland, from October 14 to 18.
Azibou secured his place in Thursday’s final after defeating two accomplished opponents on his way to the title bout.
The Moroccan first eliminated Egypt’s Mohamed Mostafa, the reigning African champion, in the quarterfinals before overcoming Ukraine’s Maksym Vytchkanov 3-1 in the semifinals.
Vytchkanov, whom the Moroccan defeated, previously won the boys’ under-52 kg world title in Venice in 2024, highlighting the Moroccan’s potential to become a world champion himself.
With this qualification, Azibou has secured at least a silver medal, with the gold medal up for grabs in Saturday’s final, October 17, where he will have the chance to become world champion in his category.
The 17-year-old is currently ranked eighth in the world in the junior under-61 kg category. He enters the final following a promising season that included a bronze medal at the African Championships in Algiers last September.
Morocco targets more medals in Poland
Azibou’s achievement adds to Morocco’s positive results at the championships, particularly in the under-21 categories.
Haitham Oufkir has also qualified for a final, securing his place in the under-75 kg title bout.
Meanwhile, three other Moroccan athletes have advanced to bronze-medal bouts. Rimayssa Tarkou will compete in the under-55 kg category, Doaa Choukri in the under-61 kg category, and Samir Seddini in the under-67 kg category.
These results offer Morocco further opportunities to add to its medal tally as the competition progresses toward the final rounds.
The 14th edition of the World Karate Championships features more than 2,000 athletes representing at least 114 countries.
The elimination rounds continue through Friday, with medal bouts scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
