The quest to be crowned Grand Winner in the Karate 1-Premier League is heating up after the second event of the season, held this past week in Hangzhou, China. The prestigious Grand Winner award is given to the top-ranked competitor in each of the 12 categories at the end of the season of Karate 1-Premier League.

With two events now completed—the season opener in Paris and the latest competition in Hangzhou—the race for supremacy is thrilling. The ultimate champions will be honoured in a grand gala at the final event in Rabat, Morocco. Here is a breakdown of the current standings in each category:

Female Kata

Mo Sheung Grace Lau of Hong Kong and Maho Ono of Japan are locked in an intense clash, both leading with 1,740 points. Ono, the defending Grand Winner, triumphed in Paris, while Grace Lau dominated in Hangzhou. Their repeated finals appearances make them the favourites for the Grand Winner title.

Female Kumite -50kg

Kazakhstan's Moldir Zhangbyrbay is in prime position to retain her Grand Winner title. With a bronze in Paris and silver in Hangzhou, she leads the standings with 1,260 points. Sara Bahmanyar of Iran and Cylia Ouikene of Algeria are close behind, tied at 1,140 points.

Female Kumite -55kg

Japan’s Rina Kodo has taken the lead in this category with 1,380 points after her gold medal performance in Hangzhou. Egypt's Ahlam Youssef (1,140 points) and the USA's Trinity Allen (1,080 points) are also in the hunt. Defending Grand Winner Valentina Toro of Chile has struggled so far, currently sitting in 25th place.

Female Kumite -61kg

Kazakhstan's Assel Kanay leads the standings after claiming silver in Paris and bronze in Hangzhou. She has 1,140 points, just ahead of Iran's Atousa Goldshadnezhad, who trails by 180 points. Reigning Grand Winner Reem Khamis of Germany is currently fourth with 900 points.

Female Kumite -68kg

Tsubasa Kama of Japan is in control of the category, accumulating 1,740 points with a silver in Paris and a gold in Hangzhou. Defending Grand Winner Elena Quirici of Switzerland is in second place, trailing by 420 points.

Female Kumite +68kg

Spain’s Maria Torres Garcia is on course to defend her Grand Winner title. She won in Paris and earned bronze in Hangzhou, leading with 1,560 points. Kazakhstan's Sofya Berultseva follows at 1,260 points.

Male Kata

Japan's Kakeru Nishiyama has dominated the category so far, winning both events of Paris and Hangzhou and earning 1,980 points. Olympian Ariel Torres Gutierrez of the USA is in second place at 720 points.

Male Kumite -60kg

Eray Samdan of Turkiye has been on fire so far, winning gold in both Paris and Hangzhou. He leads with 1,980 points. Greece’s world champion Christos-Stefanos Xenos holds second place at 480 points, while defending Grand Winner Hiromu Hashimoto of Japan is third at 960 points.

Male Kumite -67kg

Japan's Yugo Kozaki leads the category with 1,440 points after his victory in Paris. Defending Grand Winner Said Oubaya of Morocco is second with 1,140 points after claiming the title in Hangzhou.

Male Kumite -75kg

Egypt's Abdalla Abdelaziz continues his dominance, securing gold in both Paris and Hangzhou to sit at the top with 1,980 points. France's Enzo Berthon follows in second place at 900 points.

Male Kumite -84kg

Defending Grand Winner Youssef Badawy of Egypt is in control, having won gold in both events. He leads the standings with 1,980 points, while Mohammad Aljafari of Jordan is in second place at 480 points.

Male Kumite +84kg

Egypt's Taha Tarek Mahmoud, last year’s Grand Winner, remains the frontrunner after taking gold in Paris and bronze in Hangzhou. He leads with 1,560 points, while Georgia's Merabi Gelashvili sits in second place at 1,050 points.

Cairo Event Up Next

The next stop in the Karate 1-Premier League season is Cairo, Egypt, from April 18-20. With the competition intensifying, athletes will be looking to secure their positions before the final showdown in Rabat. The race for Grand Winner status is wide open, and the next event promises even more action and excitement.

CLICK HERE to go to full list of the standings.