By Waylon Galvez
Former national team member James De los Santos is on track for his sixth online gold after his semifinal victory against Scott Taylor of Canada in the E-Champions Trophy World Series Friday.
De los Santos, the world No. 2 ranked player in the world e-kata, won via default after the judges rejected the video of Taylor due to technicalities, while his video was approved.
“I’m in the final again. I’ll be gunning for my sixth gold medal,” said the 30-year-old De los Santos, who won over Silvio Cerone-Biagioni of South Africa 24.9-24.3 in the quarterfinal round.
De los Santos will face either Hugh Connolly of Ireland or Switzerland’s Domont Matias Moreno in the final Saturday.
In the quarterfinal, Connolly edged Murilo Alves of Brazil 24.6-23.5 while Moreno also won via default versus American Alfredo Bustamante, whose video was likewise rejected by the judges.
De los Santos is fresh from winning the e-Karate Games 2020 last Thursday where he beat Slovenia’s Nejc Sternisa, 25.9-23.4.
He said that it’s difficult to compete especially with online tournaments now on a weekly basis, but he is passionate about what he is doing and he wants to give honor to the country.
“I’ve been a national athlete for a little more than a decade, so it’s nothing new to me,” said De los Santos. “I’ve developed a mentality to train hard and go beyond my limits. It’s not easy, but my love for karate is what pushes me forward.”
