Shimizu secures at least silver in women's karate kata

Kiyou Shimizu performs during the semifinals in the women's karate kata at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

Kiyou Shimizu finished first in the semifinals of the women's karate kata Pool B at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday, securing at least a silver medal.

Shimizu scored 27.86 points for her performance at Nippon Budokan, advancing to the final bout against Sandra Sanchez of Spain, to be held later in the day.

The Tokyo Games mark karate's debut as an Olympic sport. In the kata competition, each karateka performs thrusts and kicks against a virtual competitor. Scores are based on the accuracy and strength of technique.

Kiyou Shimizu performs during the semifinals in the women's karate kata at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

Hailing from Osaka Prefecture, Shimizu won the 2013 Japan national championship at age 20, the youngest woman in history to do so, and kept the top post until 2019. She also won the world championships in 2014 and 2016.

-- Japan ties medal record

Team Japan had secured 41 medals at the Tokyo Olympics as of 4 p.m. Thursday, tying the previous record set in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

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