One of the greatest successes in the history of Greek karate occurred at the 26th World Championship for Men, Women. On Saturday 28/10/2023, Stefanos Xenos was crowned World Champion -60kg Kumite, in the event hosted at the “Pap Laszlo” arena, as he defeated Kaisar Alpisbai from Kazakhstan 7-1 in the final of the category.
A gold medal that brings Greece to 6th place in the world ranking! Only 8 countries nominated a world champion in Budapest, among them Greece, on October 28, while only 21 countries placed their athlete on the podium, out of the 103 that participated.
The 23-year-old champion of Odysseus Petroupolis becomes only the fourth Greek to win a gold medal at the World Championships, after Kostas Papadopoulos (1998), Dimitris Triantaphyllis (2010) and Elena Chatziliadou (2018). At the same time, he becomes the first man to bring a medal – of any color – 13 years after Triantaphyllis, the man who was in the coach’s chair in Budapest!
Xenos was fully prepared for this event, which can be seen from the results on his way to the top:
He successively defeated Maximiliano Larosa (Uruguay) 2-0, Amr Abukora (Egypt) 3-2, Alaeddin Salmi (Algeria) 3-1, Leilei Xi (China) 9-1 and Turkey’s Eray Samdan in the semi-final with 4-1, before facing Alpisbai. Samdan and Alpisbai are European and Asian champions respectively, while Abukora was runner-up in the most recent African championship.
Foreigner: “I lived the dream I had since I was a child”
The new -60kg Kumite World Champion, right after his triumph at the “Pap Laszlo” arena in Budapest, said:
“A dream just came true. Here in Budapest I lived this dream I had since I was a child. Before the grand final I had said that I am not leaving here without the gold! We did it and I’m coming back with a gold world medal in my bag.
I dedicate this medal to my brother Dionysis. I thank everyone who supported me, my family who was here, my coaches and our federation for the support. They all have their share in this success. I also thank my friends, who came all the way to Budapest to surprise me. I don’t think I let them down!”
Sietis: “A great moment”
The president of the Hellenic Karate Federation, Theodoros Sietis, emphasized in his statement:
“Winning the first medal in a World Championship after five years is a great moment for Greek karate and I think for Greek sports in general. Successes like that of Stefanos Xenos show that with proper and methodical work, with love for the sport, anything is possible. A big thumbs up to Stefanos, his family, the entire Greek delegation and above all to our athletes who gave their best in Budapest. Also, I would like to add a “thank you” to the Greek State for the support it provides us”
* Congratulations on the success were sent by the Deputy Minister of Sports, Yannis Vroutsis. “Our country is on top of the world at the World Karate Championship, which is held in Budapest. Warm congratulations to Stefanos Xeno for the gold medal in -60kg Kumite”
* The mission returns to Athens at dawn (03:15) with a flight from Belgrade
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
