Grace Lau Mo-sheung is hoping to extend her 11-podium streak at the Asian Karate Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, as Hong Kong’s newly ranked world No 2 goes in pursuit of a regional crown.

The 31-year-old Lau was promoted two places in the World Karate Federation’s most recent rankings list, a timely boost in her bid for a gold medal, which will begin on Sunday.

“I’m really happy to finally be in the world’s top two,” Lau, who arrived in Tashkent on Wednesday morning from her training base in Miami, said. “I hope to challenge for a gold medal this time.”

The Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist has two silvers and two bronze medals from the Asian Championships, with the most recent being a third-place finish a year ago.

“To be honest, I put a lot of pressure on myself this year. It has not been an easy year for me,” Lau added. “Regardless of tournament results, I spent more time analysing my weaknesses, hoping to make myself stronger the next time and to maintain a high level as much as possible.”

The city’s kata queen has proven her worth with 11 consecutive medals from all events since 2020, including three silvers and two bronze medals this year.

Lau’s solid performances have earned her 5,025 world ranking points, 1,230 fewer than No 1 Hikaru Ono of Japan.

The Hongkonger is bracing for another tough battle with Ono, the defending regional champion, who has won all four of their meetings this year.

Hong Kong has sent 32 karatekas to compete in the junior and senior divisions in Tashkent, with 13 fighting for senior medals.

The city’s squad finished 11th in the Asian Championships in Kazakhstan last year, with only three bronze medals coming from the women’s team kata, Tsang Yee-ting’s Kumite -50kg and Lau’s individual kata.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tK%2FMqWWcp51kwLG70a1moaeenHqsu82gZpqqpJ6wrbGObGlpa2Nng3Cz0ZqanmWclsJursidqmaqlZy2sLrApWScqp%2Bsu26typ9kpJmilsGmecKhmKaomaS7tLTIqapmraqXsqy10q2Ypw%3D%3D