In Cairo, the DKV is particularly hopeful of winning medals in the kumite competitions.
Ambitions are high and goals are ambitious—the athletes of the German Karate Association (DKV) are aiming for top rankings at the Individual World Championships in Egypt, which begin on Thursday (November 27 to 30).
“We are traveling to Cairo full of optimism, drive, and desire to win medals,” said national coach Noah Bitsch in the run-up to the event, “after all, our goal is to win medals.”
In the kumite competitions, hopes are pinned above all on Johanna Kneer (over 68 kg) and Mia Bitsch (up to 55 kg), who both won gold medals at the World Games in Chengdu last August, as well as Hannah Riedel (up to 68 kg), who became double European champion in Yerevan, Armenia, in May. In the men’s competition, European Championship bronze medalist Muhammed Özdemir (up to 67 kg) is expected to deliver success. Janne Haubold, who finished third in the European Championships in the up to 84 kg class, had to withdraw from the World Championships due to a knee injury. In the kata competitions, the DKV is relying on a duo with different backgrounds. In the women’s competition, the experienced 2021 Olympian Jasmin Jüttner, who most recently won bronze at the European Championships in 2024, will be competing. “I hope that Jasmin has a little more luck in the draw this time than she did in the previous Premier League events,” said national kata coach Efthimios Karamitsos. The men will be represented by Moris Tellocke, who is competing in his first World Championships. In both disciplines, there will be eight preliminary round pools with four starters each, with the top two finishers in each group advancing to the round of 16. Unlike other World Karate Federation (WKF) competitions, there will be no consolation round, and only one bronze medal will be awarded. All World Championship competitions will be broadcast live on the world federation’s YouTube channel.