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Youssef Badawy

Youssef Badawy
End of 2021 World Karate Championships semi-final bout, declaring Badawy a finalist
Personal information
Full nameYoussef Emad Mahmoud Abdelhameed Badawy
Nicknames
  • Rubber Leg
  • Golden Boy
Born (2001-08-06) August 6, 2001 (age 23)
Cairo, Egypt
Sport
CountryEgypt
SportKarate
Weight class-84 kg
EventKumite
Coached by
Achievements and titles
World finals
Regional finals
Highest world ranking1st
Medal record
Men's karate
Representing  Egypt
World Games
Gold medal – first place 2022 Birmingham Kumite 84 kg
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2021 Dubai Kumite 84 kg
Gold medal – first place 2023 Budapest Kumite 84 kg
Silver medal – second place 2023 Budapest Team kumite
African Games
Gold medal – first place 2024 Accra Kumite 84 kg
Gold medal – first place 2023 Accra Kumite 84 kg
Gold medal – first place 2023 Accra Team kumite
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Rabat Team kumite
Mediterranean Games
Gold medal – first place 2022 Oran Kumite 84 kg
Junior, Cadet & U21 World Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Chile Kumite 84 kg
African Championship
Gold medal – first place 2023 Morocco Kumite 84 kg
Gold medal – first place 2023 Morocco Kumite Team
Gold medal – first place 2022 South Africa Kumite 84 kg
Gold medal – first place 2022 South Africa Kumite Team
Silver medal – second place 2021 Egypt Kumite 84 kg
Gold medal – first place 2021 Egypt Kumite Team
Silver medal – second place 2020 Morocco Kumite Team
Gold medal – first place 2019 Morocco Kumite +76 kg
Arab Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Algeria Kumite 84 kg
Gold medal – first place 2021 Algeria Kumite Team
Karate1 Premier League
Silver medal – second place 2024 Cairo Kumite 84 kg
Gold medal – first place 2024 Antalya Kumite 84 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Paris Kumite 84 kg
Gold medal – first place 2022 Baku Kumite 84 kg
Gold medal – first place 2022 Rabat Kumite 84 kg
Gold medal – first place 2022 Fujairah Kumite 84 kg
Gold medal – first place 2021 Moscow Kumite 84 kg
Gold medal – first place 2021 Egypt Kumite 84 kg
Karate1 Youth League
Gold medal – first place 2019 Cyprus Kumite +76 kg

Youssef Badawy (Arabic: يوسف بدوي, born 6 August 2001) is an Egyptian karateka and a world-classed champion. He won the gold medal in the men's kumite 84 kg event at the 2021 World Karate Championships held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.[1][2] In 2019, he won the bronze medal in the men's kumite 84kg event at the World Cadet, Junior & Under 21 Championships in Chile, marking his debut at the Worlds and introducing himself as a candidate for the World Champion title.

Early life and experience

Inspired by his brother, who is also a kumite practitioner, Badawy took karate up at the age of five. He moved to Al Zohour Sporting Club and started making his way in the sport under his coach Mohamed Fathy by contending at the nationals. In 2015, he joined the Egyptian National Team. He made a start on participating internationally by enrolling in cadets’ kumite -63kg event at Al-Ahli Dubai Open International Championship in 2016 and at The African Championship held in Algeria in 2018.

Career

In February 2019, Badawy won his first continental gold medal at The African Championship in Marrakech, Morocco. A month later, he contended at The Arab Championship for Clubs, winning the bronze medal in the kumite team event. During the same year in May, he won the gold medal in the men’s kumite +76kg event at the Karate1 Youth League held in Limassol, Cyprus, and, in August, he won the bronze medal in the men’s team kumite at The African Games held in Rabat, Morocco. A few months later, he was ready to vie for a medal at the Junior, Cadet and U21 World Karate Championship held in Santiago, Chile, at which he claimed his first world bronze medal.[3]

In February 2020, before COVID-19 outbreak, he won the silver medal in the men’s team kumite event at the African Championship in Tangier, Morocco.

2021 Season

Badawy vs Nabil Ech-Chaabi at Moscow Karate1 Premier League final

In April 2021, after the hiatus foisted by the karate events suspension due to COVID, he made his first premier league participation for the season in Lisbon, Portugal.[4] Badawy competed with Male Kumite -84kg category’s best bets and swept the two premier leagues held at the thick of the season. He made his senior debut in September at Egypt’s Karate 1 Premier League with a gold medal,[5] and at the premier league that followed in Moscow, he carried another gold medal back home after keeping a clean sheet throughout his five rounds.[6][7] He promised on Instagram that it would not be the last gold medal.[8]

World Karate Championship 2021

Badawy was one of the youngest contenders in the tournament. He started off with a win against Ivan Kvesić, one-time 2018 world champion, and upstaged renowned karate pros. At the semi-final bout, Badawy bumped heads with Jessie Da Costa who outmatched with a single point almost till the end. Badawy’s national team coach Mohamed Abdelrahman requested a VR at the 0:04 second which stalled the announcement of the bout end and provided Badawy with a final chance. Badawy signed off an emotive last-second Yuko to even the score 2-2 and win the bout by Senshu privilege.[9][10]

"The awaited moment"

After an indecisive final between Badawy and Fabián Huaiquimán, the bout ended with a score tie 6-6 and the nullification of Badawy’s Senshu. Badawy was proclaimed the winner by Hantei after a consensus among the five judges.

Badawy scoring his closing punch for the qualifying bout
 Egypt
BOUT CONTENDER NATIONALITY RESULT
1st Bout Ivan Kvesić  Croatia 5/4
2nd Bout Othman Majeed Shvan  Iraq 10/0
3rd Bout Diego Silva  Brazil 6/2
Quarter Final Faraj Alnashri  Saudi Arabia 7/5
Semi Final Jessie Da Costa  France 2/2
Final Fabián Huaiquimán  Chile 6/6

He stated that it was an exacting win and attributed his achievement to his family.

"The moment that I have been dreaming of my entire life, which one can never express it; for it is an ineffable feeling. The moment at which one truly values everything he has sacrificed for, and at which every instant of fatigue, pain, frustration, loss, and despair flashes right before his eyes, making him perceive Allah’s blessing and forget how that all felt once. All the credit goes to my parents; the real heroes and the reason, after Allah, behind everything."

– Youssef Badawy on standing on the first-place podium of the World Championship.[11]

Closing of season

He was entitled vice champion at the African Championship held in December in his hometown, Cairo, Egypt.[12] No more than a week later, Badawy competed in Algeria at the Arab Championship, at which he won the bronze medal at the men’s kumite 84kg event, and the gold medal at the kumite team event.

Following after Dubai World Championship, in December, WKF announced the list of the first qualified athletes, which included Badawy the reigning world champion, for the Karate most anticipated event of the year: 2022 World Games which was held in July in Birmingham, United States. Following in January was Badawy’s ascent to the top 5 athletes in the world ranking for the Male Kumite -84kg category.

Golden Season

Badawy inaugurated his 2022 season medal count with a gold medal at the Fujairah Karate1 Premier League event after coming across his teammate, Mohamed Ramadan, at an all-Egypt final.[13] In March, he went for playing for Al-Sharjah Sporting Club and placed first at the national Karate General League held in UAE.

Fujairah premier league award ceremony

In May, Badawy made it to the first place in the world ranking of his category. Days later he welcomed another gold medal to his records at Rabat Karate1 Premier League.[14][15]

Mediterranean Games 2022

Outmatching his opponent at the Mediterranean Games semifinal, Badawy received a hard blow to the head that knocked him out for a few seconds. He resumed the bout to win with a 4-1 score despite his condition. He was then moved to the hospital for a checkup, and the Egyptian Olympic Committee stated that he will not play the final for the sake of his safety. Abdel Fattah al-Najjar, head coach of the Egyptian Karate team, confirmed that Badawy underwent a crying fit on being notified of his imminent official disqualification from the final match and surprised everyone by insisting on playing the final with a promise that the gold medal is Egypt's. He played at the final and won the gold medal with a 6-4 score.[16]

World Games 2022

Competing against the best seven players in the world, Badawy started off with a win against the Moroccan champion Nabil Ech-Chaabi then another one against the Dutchman champion Brian Timmermans to be qualified to vie against Ivan Kvesić in the semifinal. Badawy had to clash with Nabil Ech-Chaabi for a second time in the tournament at the final at which he pulled off a last-second victory by signing an offensive Yuko after the annulment of Ech-Chaabi's Senshu to balance the score 6-6 and win by Hantei.[17]

In September, Badawy achieved the gold medal at the last premier league of the 2022 season which was held in Baku, Azerbaijan.[18][19] In October, Badawy played for Al Nassr Sporting Club at the national league for teams and placed 1st. For the finale of the 2022 season, Badawy seized the continental title of African Champion at The African Championship held in Durban, South Africa with a clean sheet throughout his four rounds and won the gold medal for the kumite team event as well.[20][21]

2023 Season

Badawy had a rough start for the 2023 season as he had to sit out the Karate Premier League held in his hometown, Cairo, Egypt, because of his jaw injury. On January 7, two weeks before the Premier League, Badawy was competing at the Saudi national league when he received a hard blow in the face. He was diagnosed with a jaw dislocation and had to undergo a surgery, hindering his participation in any combat during his recovery period.[22]

He preserved his seat on the throne of the world ranking for the months of January, March, and May. [23] [24] [25] [26] In July, Badawy featured his first seminar and training camp in Stockholm, Sweden. [27] In August, Badawy celebrated his return for the 2023 season with a gold medal at the individual and team event at the African Championship in Casablanca, Morocco.[28][29]

Badawy concluded the season with a gold medal at the 2023 World Karate Championships held in Budapest, Hungary, and a silver medal for the kumite team event for the first time in the Egyptian karate history since Tampere World Karate Championship's bronze medal.[30] Badawy becomes the first male Egyptian karateka to win two consecutive world golds at the senior world championships.[31][32]

Budapest World Championship Results
 Egypt
BOUT CONTENDER NATIONALITY RESULT
1st Bout Yonatan Freund  Australia 8/0
2nd Bout Bjorn Kulovuori  Finland 6/4
3rd Bout Makhtar Diop  Senegal 0/0 (winner by Hantei)
Quarter Final Valerii Chobotar  Ukraine 6/1
Semi Final Eduard Gasparian  ROC 7/3
Final Mahdi Khodobakhshi  Iran 9/2

Badawy participated in Moscow Karate Universe international competition two weeks after the world championship and achieved a gold medal.[33]

2024 Season

Badawy started the 2024 season with winning a bronze medal at the premier league held in Paris,France, after an absence from the Karate 1 Premier League event since Baku 2022.[34] He won against Croatian champion Ivan Kvesić at the eliminations bouts and against Japanese champion Rikito Shimada at the bronze medal match with a 6-4 score.[35] He claimed the African Games champion title in March,[36] and in the same month, he claimed another gold medal at Karate 1 Premier League in Antalya, Turkey.[37] He participated in the USA Open Championships and attained two gold medals for the Individual -84kg event and the team event.[38]

For the third Premier League event, Badawy lost the final match to Mohammad Al-Jafari who won with an 8-point advantage.[39] At the final Premier League event for the season, Badawy managed to secure the Grand Winner title by winning the quarter final match with a transformed score from 9-5 to 9-9 in the last three seconds of the match. Badawy lost the semi-final match and the bronze match, placing fifth; however, he expressed his satisfaction with his performance and his new Grand Winner title, which he has been aspiring to since Cairo Premier League 2023.[40][41]

"An unbelievable fight which was 9-4 for the opponent with 9 seconds left, losing this fight would prevent me from being the Grand Winner. Looking at Sensei Hany Keshta at this moment saying to me, "I am already satisfied with your performance, but do your best till the end." His words relieved pressure on me and also encouraged me to do my best even if I see that 5 points in the last 9 seconds is kind of impossible. BUT I DID IT. In these moments, I only want support and encouragement to continue fighting, not karate instructions, and that is what exactly Sensei Hany did. Thank you great Hany. Big respect to the opponent."

– Youssef Badawy on winning the Karate1 Casablanca quarter-final match.[42]

Personal life

Badawy is an engineering undergraduate studying at Ain Shams University and has majored in mechanical engineering.

Techniques and skills

Badawy is generally recognized by his on-target kicks and particularly by his known Ura mawashi, which he stated was his favorite move.

Achievements

Competition Results
YEAR COMPETITION VENUE RANK/POSITION EVENT
2019 African Championship Zone 1 Marrakech  Morocco  Gold Individual +76 kg Kumite
2019 Karate 1 Youth League Limassol  Cyprus  Gold Individual +76 kg Kumite
2019 African Games Rabat  Morocco  Bronze Kumite Team
2019 Junior, Cadet and U21 World Karate Championship Santiago  Chile  Bronze U21 Individual -84 kg Kumite
2020 UFAK JUNIOR & SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS Tangier  Morocco  Silver Kumite Team
2021 Karate 1 Premier League Cairo  Egypt  Gold Individual -84 kg Kumite
2021 Karate 1 Premier League Moscow  ROC  Gold Individual -84 kg Kumite
2021 2021 World Karate Championships Dubai  United Arab Emirates  Gold Individual -84 kg Kumite
2021 UFAK JUNIOR & SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS Cairo  Egypt  Silver Individual -84 kg Kumite
2022 Karate 1 Premier League Fujairah  United Arab Emirates  Gold Individual -84 kg Kumite
2022 Karate 1 Premier League Rabat  Morocco  Gold Individual -84 kg Kumite
2022 2022 Mediterranean Games Oran  Algeria  Gold Individual -84 kg Kumite
2022 2022 World Games Birmingham  United States  Gold Individual -84 kg Kumite
2022 Karate 1 Premier League Baku  Azerbaijan  Gold Individual -84 kg Kumite
2022 UFAK JUNIOR & SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS Durban  South Africa  Gold Individual -84 kg Kumite
2023 UFAK JUNIOR & SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS Casablanca  Morocco  Gold Individual -84 kg Kumite
2023 2023 World Karate Championships Budapest  Hungary  Gold Individual -84 kg Kumite
2023 Moscow Karate Universe Moscow  ROC  Gold Individual -84 kg Kumite
2024 Karate 1 Premier League Paris  France  Bronze Individual -84 kg Kumite
2024 African Games Accra  Ghana  Gold Individual -84 kg Kumite
2024 Karate 1 Premier League Antalya  Turkey  Gold Individual -84 kg Kumite
2024 US Open Championships Dallas  United States  Gold Individual -84 kg Kumite
2024 US Open Championships Dallas  United States  Gold Kumite Team
2024 Karate 1 Premier League Cairo  Egypt  Silver Individual -84 kg Kumite

Honors and awards

In December 2019, Badawy was bestowed the third-class Order of the Republic by Egypt's president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi for winning his world bronze medal in Chile. The Faculty of Engineering of Ain Shams University honored him for sport excellence and his four international achievements in karate of the 2022 year.[43]

In 2024, Badawy was bestowed the Grand Winner Prize for all the medals he won in Karate 1-Premier League events.[44] In July of the same year, he was bestowed the first-class Order of the Republic by Egypt's president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi for his gold medal at the individual and teams event in the African Games in Ghana.[45]

References

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