Results of competitors from Serbia at the Karate World Championships and Olympic Games (1970-2025): A historical-analytical review

The aim of the work was to present and systematize the results of the competitors from Serbia at the Karate World Championships during the period 1970-2025, as well as their results at the Olympic Games. Descriptive and historical-analytical methods were applied, based on data from the archives of the WKF and former international organisations (WUKO, IAKF), documentation from the Karate Federation of Serbia, and specialised publications. Data from different sources were compared and organised by year, discipline, sex, and medal type. The first participation was recorded in 1970, without a medal, while the first medal was won in 1972. A total of 29 medals were won (7 gold, 3 silver, and 19 bronze): 20 in individual kumite, four in team kumite, and five in kata. Male competitors won 18 medals, while female competitors won 11. Ten medals, with no gold medals, were won up to 1998; 15 medals were won during 2000-2012, including the first gold medal in 2002; and four medals, two of them gold, were won from 2014 to 2025. The highest number of medals at a single championship was recorded in Belgrade in 2010 (four). The results demonstrate a multi-decade continuity of international success among competitors from Serbia. A special place is held by Jovana Preković's Olympic gold medal in the under-61 kg category at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, held in 2021, when karate was included in the Olympic programme.