James De Los Santos breaches 26-point mark for 17th gold

James De Los Santos

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--Filipino karateka James De Los Santos made history when he ruled the Katana Intercontinental League at the release of the final round results on Monday.

"I won it as the first eKata player to ever score over 26," De Los Santos broke the good news right after he confirmed that he won the gold.

He defeated Costa Rica's Juan Achio in the final, 26.1-25.1 for his 17th gold medal of the year.

Despite getting past the 26-point barrier, De Los Santos, the world number one in the eKata rankings, deflected his latest achievement to his mentor, Masa Saito.

"This is a record for us!" De Los Santos exclaimed.

He first beat Abdellatif Choukri of Morocco in the quarterfinals before edging Nejc Sternisa of Slovenia in the semifinals.

Despite falling short, Achio pulled off the stunner of the event when he eliminated former world number one Eduardo Garcia of Portugal in the semifinals.

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