The 27th WKF Karate World Championships were held in Cairo, Egypt, from 27 – 30 November 2025, bringing together the world’s top 32 qualified senior athletes in each Kata and Kumite category, alongside competitors in the Para-Karate divisions, with representation from more than 110 nations.

 

Australia fielded a strong national team across all divisions, with Western Australia represented by athletes Dylan Fisher (Male Kata), Laura Golding (Female -68kg Kumite), Mitchell Durham, Team Captain (Male -75kg Kumite), and Head Coach, Mark Golding.

 

The 2025 Championships marked a significant change in WKF competition structure. For the first time, all individual divisions adopted a two-phase format designed to increase fairness, provide more match opportunities, and reduce the impact of a single unfavourable draw.

 

The event began with a Group Phase consisting of round-robin pools, generally comprising three to four athletes, where each competitor faced every other athlete in their pool. This approach ensured multiple guaranteed bouts for all participants, with progression determined by pool rankings based on wins, points scored, and other WKF tiebreak criteria. The top two athletes from each pool advanced to the Elimination Phase, which followed a single-knockout format with no repechage. In this stage, competitors moved through the Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and ultimately the Finals.

 

Despite the highly challenging nature of the Championships and the introduction of the new two-phase competition format, Dylan Fisher, Laura Golding, and Mitchell Durham represented Australia with distinction, exemplifying dedication, professionalism, and national pride.

 

Their performances, while not resulting in medals, reflected a high standard of excellence and commitment worthy of recognition, further establishing Australia’s presence on the global karate stage. We congratulate Dylan Fisher, Laura Golding and Mitchell Durham, along with Head Coach, Mark Golding, for their outstanding efforts, resilience, and leadership throughout the Championships.