Kazakh karateka Sofya Berultseva has claimed Kazakhstan's fourth gold medal at the 20th Summer Asian Games in Japan, infohub.kz reports.
The 25-year-old athlete competed in the over-68 kg weight category. On her way to the final, she defeated Dina Ahmed Mostafa of Saudi Arabia (9:6) and Arika Gurung of Nepal (2:1).
In the decisive bout, Berultseva faced Manivan Butsuwan of Thailand. The contest ended in an early victory for the Kazakh athlete with a score of 8:0.
The bronze medals in this division went to Mostafa and Indonesia's Leika Al Humaira Lubis.
Berultseva has now become a two-time Asian Games champion. At Hangzhou 2022, she won in the under-61 kg weight category. The Kazakh athlete also has a bronze medal from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, two World Championship medals and three Asian Championship titles.
Berultseva's gold was Kazakhstan's fourth at the 2026 Asian Games. Cyclists Rinata Sultanova and Alexey Lutsenko, as well as karateka Zholaman Bigabyl, had previously climbed to the top step of the podium.