After winning Japan's first gold medal in karate, Ryo Kiyuna said Saturday the sport's debut at the Tokyo Games was a big step forward in introducing it to the world and believes one day it will return to the Olympic program.
A day after capturing the men's kata title, Kiyuna told a news conference he was excited to have competed in karate's Olympic debut, but he knew the Games were different from any other tournament because of the attention he would receive.
"By participating in the Tokyo Olympics, I noticed (the Olympics) are wonderful," said Kiyuna, who is a native of Okinawa Prefecture, where karate originated.