Karate 1 Premier League: Grace Lau’s revenge must wait as Hikaru Ono proves immovable
- Hongkonger takes silver in Baku after her 4th loss to Ono in 2022
- However, Lau is ‘closing the gap and building momentum’, Hong Kong’s head coach William Thomas says
Grace Lau Mo-sheung has had to be patient in her quest to stand top of the kata world, but her coach is convinced she is closing the gap behind Hikaru Ono despite the Japanese extending her dominance over her.
World No 2 Ono saw off Hong Kong’s Lau again on Sunday in the final of the Baku leg of the WKF Karate 1 Premier League.
The clash pitted Lau against her old nemesis for the fourth time this year, and a 25.34-26.64 reverse continued a losing streak that stretches even further back.
“She had a great final and a strong challenge against [Ono],” Hong Kong head coach William Thomas said. “She is closing the gap and building momentum.”
Ranked among the top five women last week at Hong Kong’s Sports Star Awards, Lau returned to competition in Azerbaijan after earning a bronze medal at the World Games in July, and got off to a flying start.
Lau easily defeated opponents from Spain, Greece and Japan to reach the quarter-finals, where she faced European Championships silver medallist Dilara Bozan of Türkiye and progressed emphatically by 25.34-23.92.