Two Filipino karatekas started strong but fell short in the kata event of the 2021 World Karate Federation (WKF) Senior World Championships Thursday, Nov. 18 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Sarah Pangilinan, bronze medalist in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, managed to barge in the third round but yielded to seven other contestants after gaining the lowest score in the group with 22.86.
She earlier made the cut in the second round with 24.46 points after spearheading her respective pool with 24.94.
In men's play, John Enrico Vasquez only made it into the second round by making the grade from his respective pool with 22.52 points.
Upon stepping on the next level, Vasquez, also a bronze medalist in the 2019 SEAG, saw his world championship campaign crumble as he ranked seventh out of the eight competitors in the group with 22.66 points.
Earlier, in the kumite events, both Jamie Lim and Junna Tsukii made their respective exits in the -61kg and -50kg division.
Up next for the national karate team will be the Asian Championships set next month.