Jamie Lim crashes out of Asian Games karate quarterfinal

HANGZHOU, China – Jamie Christine Lim couldn’t hold on to an earlier victory, conceding to a two-time Asian champion from Kazakhstan in the karate competitions of the 19th Asian Games.

22-year-old Assel Kanay scored a yuko on Lim for a 1-0 victory in the women’s kumite -61kg division, guiding the Filipino out of the quarterfinals at the Linping Sports Center Gymnasium on Friday.

Lim, a two-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist and one-time silver performer at the Asian Championship, started on good footing by overpowering Zulkhumor Tursunalieva of Uzbekistan in the round of 16.

So far, Philippine karatekas have contributed to the country’s medal tally by taking bronze thanks to Filipino-Japanese Sakura Alforte in the women’s individual kata.

There is still hope for them to climb the podium when world champion Junna Tsukii concludes the Philippine campaign at these Games on Sunday.

Tsukii, who settled for a silver medal at the Cambodian Southeast Asian Games early this year shrouded in controversy, has struggled to bounce back, starting with her round of 16 showdown with Cambodia’s Srey Phea Chonn in the under-50 kg kumite for women.