World Karate Championship: Saadi Abbas looking to avenge Asiad loss
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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