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Filipino karateka, Tsukii Junna.
MANILA, Philippines — Tsukii Junna has said goodbye to her career as a karateka and embarked on a new journey in the world of mixed martial arts.
The Filipino-Japanese karateka announced on Wednesday that he is ending his illustrious 26-year career.
Tsukii commented, “Thank you for your warm support. I have decided to retire from my 26-year career as an active karateka and pursue a career in mixed martial arts. Although the stage will change, I will do my best to have fun with everyone, so I would appreciate your continued warm support.”
The 32-year-old Tsukii could make history by winning Japan's first gold medal at the world championships in 2022. Tsukii also won gold at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games but controversially finished with a silver medal last year.
READ: Tsukii Junna wins Philippines' first gold medal at 2022 World Championships
She was eliminated in the round of 16 at the 19th Asian Games, losing to Cambodia's Srey Peer Chong. In the women's 51kg kumite, she had 3 wins and 2 losses.
Ahead of her next challenge on the mixed martial arts stage against Runa Sakamoto on August 31, Tsukii reflected on her journey in karate.
“'You should get married now,' 'You've worked so hard, it's time to settle down,' I hear those kinds of things a lot now that I'm over 30. But my body is a lot stronger now than it was before,” says Tsukii. “I want to put what I learned so desperately while traveling the world into practice in my life. I want to have more fun with everyone.”
“Above all, I think it's wrong to give up on life's challenges just because of your age or public opinion. Of course there are many conflicts, but I will continue to forge ahead, believing that there is a story that only I can tell,” she continued.
