Filipino-Japanese karateka Junna Tsukii wins gold medal in Serbia tourney

Junna Tsukii has won a gold medal at the Golden Belt Karate tournament in Serbia.

The Filipino-Japanese karateka announced the good news in a Facebook post on Saturday.

"I'm very happy to be able to fight with the top players at this time. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Serbian Karate Federation and to Roksanda sensei for giving us such a wonderful opportunity," she wrote in her post.

The Golden Belt tourney is part of Tsukii's campaign for a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Prior to Serbia, Tsukii competed in the Premier League in Istanbul, Turkey.

Tsukii was one of the Philippines' gold medalists in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, and was a bronze medalist during the 2018 Asian Games.

Six Filipino athletes have already qualified for the Tokyo Games: Carlos Yulo (gymnastics), EJ Obiena (athletics), and boxers Eumir Marcial, Irish Magno, Carlo Paalam, and Nesthy Petecio. — Justin Kenneth Carandang/BM, GMA News