Panamanian athlete Edgardo Torres, who conquered gold and bronze medals at the Central American Karate Championship, now sets his sights on the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games, an event that is part of the Olympic cycle. The 17-year-old Torres won the gold medal in the kata discipline in the junior category, while he also saw action in the Senior category, winning the bronze medal. The Panamanian athlete is preparing to compete in the Central American and Karate Tournament to be held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, which will grant spots to the Central American and Caribbean Games to be held from July 24 to August 8. Daily, Edgardo trains three times a day at the Shito Kai Murayama Panamá Academy, in Villa Zaíta, North Panama, where his Sensei is Kathia De Gracia. His daily training is also supported by his parents, Luisa and Edgardo, who have not hesitated to follow their son's sports career. At the Shito Kai Murayama Panamá Academy, Edgardo started in karate at the age of six and has been progressing in his sports career ever since. 'With the work that was achieved in Nicaragua, Edgardo Torres's next mission is to qualify for the Central American and Caribbean Games, which will be held from April 14 to 19,' stated Kathia De Gracia, Sensei of athlete Edgardo from the Shito Kai Murayama Panamá Academy. De Gracia added that the expectation with Torres is that he wins a spot in the qualifier for the Central American and Caribbean Games. 'I see a great future in Edgardo and he has shown great progress since he started in karate,' the Sensei emphasized. After his beginnings in karate, Edgardo began to be part of national teams at the approximate age of 12 and was subsequently established as the number one junior athlete in the male kata modality. One of his first international achievements was the bronze medal in the first edition of the Bolivarian Youth Games, held in Sucre, Bolivia, in 2024. He has also had great international experiences, such as training with world champion and current coach, the Spaniard Fran Salazar. In the recently concluded Central American Championship held in Managua, Nicaragua, and which had the delegations of Mexico and Venezuela, Edgardo conquered the gold medal in the Junior category. In the Senior category, Torres faced older athletes but advanced to the semifinals, where he narrowly lost to the current champion of last year's Central American and Caribbean Games held in Guatemala, the 23-year-old Costa Rican Joshua Núñez. He achieved the bronze medal by defeating the Honduran Kevin Armijo 3-2.
