KARACHI: US Open champion Saadi Abbas is targeting the 22nd World Karate Championship title when the event gets under way in Bremen, Germany on November 4.
Although the Asian Karatedo Champion believes his preparations for the mega event will carry him through the -67kg category, he said that losing in the quarter-finals of the Asian Games in Incheon was a big blow to his confidence just a month before the world championships.
“It’s been a struggle for me,” Abbas told The Express Tribune. “I’ve had a good year otherwise, winning international events. But the Asian Games really brought me down. I had worked hard to prepare for them, and waited for it for four years, dreaming that I could bring the gold medal home.
“However, there were a few changes in the rules and I lost. So, of course, I needed some time to get back on my feet and motivate myself.”
According to Abbas, he has been training hard in the UAE for the worlds, at least four hours a day, with the occasional help from a coach, as it was important to take care of fitness and weight before any event. The training for maintaining the right weight alone takes at least a month.
“Getting in the right frame of mind is important, and I’ve decided to go to the world championships anyway because I had planned for it at the beginning of the year,” said Abbas, adding that he was expecting a tough challenge from karatekas from Egypt, Iran, Japan, US and hosts Germany.
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