Rwanda’s national karate team captain, Fiston Ntwali, qualified for the 2025 World Karate Championships, set to take place in Cairo, Egypt, from November 27 to 30. The World Karate Federation (WKF) confirmed his participation in a letter sent to Rwanda Karate Federation on August 4.

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Ntwali, a second-year business management student at Mount Kigali University, will compete in the under 67kg individual kumite category, the same category he competed in at this year’s African Karate Championships, held from July 22 to 27 in Abuja, Nigeria.

"Qualifying for the World Championships means I have to work even harder and be fully prepared,” Ntwali said. "I have around three months to get ready, and I’ve taken a lot of lessons from the competition in Abuja. It’s clear that I need to raise my level in training. With focus and hard work, I have no doubt the results will follow.”

Path to qualification

Ntwali earned his spot at the world championships following a strong showing at this year’s African Karate Championships. While he did not win a medal in Abuja, his performance was outstanding, according to Damien Niyongabo, the president of Rwanda Karate Federation.

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Ntwali's qualification was based on the ranking points he accumulated, particularly from his matches in Abuja and previous international tournaments such as the 2024 Commonwealth Karate Championships, in Durban, South Africa.

"Fiston [Ntwali] qualified on merit because of the points he amassed, especially at the just-concluded African championships and the 11th Commonwealth Games last year. He won no medal in Abuja but he delivered a solid individual performance and showed he can compete at the highest level,” Niyongabo said.

"He won three consecutive matches before he was eliminated in the semifinals. Had he won, Ntwali would have secured a bronze medal.”

The federation hopes that Ntwali’s national teammate Maïc Ndutiye Shyaka – the winner of Rwanda’s historic gold medal in the 2018 edition of the African Karate Championships can also make it through a pre-qualification event in Paris, France, in October. The WKF will hold a pre-qualification event in Paris to determine which other karatekas earn a spot in the main World Championships competition.

Ntwali’s performance breakdown at the 2025 African Karate Championships: