Damien Dovy, a world champion in karate in 1994 under the colors of France, participated in the 2012 World Cup representing Benin. At the age of 46, he treated himself to one last outing at the world championships in Paris-Bercy. Dovy, now representing Benin, competed in his final match on November 22, reaching the third round but narrowly losing (1-0) to the Turk Kemaloglu.
Dovy, who is a contender for the podium, expressed disappointment at finishing this way but emphasized that he wanted to show that at 46 years old, one can still compete at the highest level with determination and hard work. Damien Dovy had an exemplary career, initially competing for the French team, and then representing Benin after 2002, where he won the world championship again at the age of 36 and became the African champion at 42. He has a total of six gold medals in world championships. Now retiring from competitive karate, Dovy looks forward to pursuing other projects and lives, still within the realm of karate.
