How Hialeah’s Ariel Torres won a bronze medal in karate at the Tokyo Olympics
South Florida found its way to the podium in karate’s first-ever showing in the Olympics.
Ariel Torres, born in Cuba and raised in Hialeah, earned a bronze medal in “kata,” the non-fighting karate discipline known as “forms,” at the Tokyo Olympics on Friday.
Torres, who entered the Olympics ranked No. 6 in the world and as the top male Team USA Olympian in kata, reached his bronze medal bout by finishing second in his pool in each of the first three rounds behind eventual silver medalist Damian Quintero of Spain. Torres outscored Venezuela’s Antonio Jose Diaz Fernandez 26.72-26.34 for the bronze. Japan’s Ryo Kiyuna won gold, while Turkey’s Ali Sofuoglu beat South Korea’s Heejun Park for the second bronze of the event.
“All the Glory To GOD!” Torres wrote on Twitter shortly after winning his medal. “My family… WE DID IT!!!!!!!!! Thank you for always supporting my dream and for all the sacrifices you made for me to keep fighting.”
Scoring is based on 10 criteria. Athletes are evaluated on seven technical points (stances, techniques, transitional movements, timing, correct breathing, focus and conformance) as well as three athletic points (strength, speed and balance).
There are seven judges, each of whom gives a score between 5 and 10, in increments of 0.2 points, for both technical and athletic performance. The highest two and lowest two scores from each is dropped, and the remaining three scores are added together. Technical performance counts for 70 percent of an athlete’s final score. Athletic performance counts for the remaining 30 percent.
Karate was one of four new sports added to the sports programme for the Tokyo Olympics, joining skateboarding, sports climbing and surfing. Softball and baseball also made their return to the games for the first time since 2008.
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