Gino Emanuele Melis, an athlete from Quartucciu, won the World Karate Championship for the third time at the WKA (World Karate Alliance) World Championships, held from March 27th to 29th in Malta. This new gold medal, added to an already impressive list of victories, came after an intense three days of competition.
Melis, trained by his father Giancarlo (also a national instructor with Master 8 Dan), won the open weight black belt kumite (combat) event. In the final, he defeated England for his third gold medal, following those won in Croatia in 2019 and Poland in 2022. In addition to his world titles, he also boasts two European titles, two Mediterranean titles, 36 international medals, and 12 Italian titles.
"I'm very happy with my performance and the result I achieved: it's the fruit of commitment, passion, and sacrifice," said Melis, who, along with her father Giancarlo, teaches karate to children and adults in Quartucciu. "I sincerely thank my father, always by my side with his invaluable technical advice, my family for their unwavering support, and my wife Roberta for all the strength she gave me before and during the competition—it was simply unique."
