James de los Santos wins 4th virtual title in karate

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino karateka James de los Santos won’t be denied for the third time.

De los Santos finally got back at world No. 1 Eduardo Garcia of Portugal, who had already beaten him twice in the past, to win the Athletes’ E-Tournament.

The 30-year-old De los Santos bagged his fourth fold medal in the virtual kata competitions after a narrow 25-24.9 victory over Garcia in the men’s kata seniors event.

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“This was the third time I faced him, and it’s been competitive. This was special as he’s No. 1 and I’m No. 2 in the world rankings for the E-Tournaments. This time, I was able to win the gold medal,” De los Santos wrote on his Instagram Wednesday.

His latest feat could propel him into the top of rankings after recently climbing to No. 2 following his victory in the Balkan Open.