TOKYO (REUTERS) - The women's solo "kata" competition kicked off karate's first foray into the Olympics on Thursday (Aug 5) with the 10 karateka performing routines in a hushed, spectator-less Nippon Budokan arena, the spiritual home of Japanese martial arts in Tokyo.

In the elimination and ranking rounds, the two "queens of kata" - Japan's Kiyou Shimizu and Spain's Sandra Sanchez - scored head-and-shoulders above the rest, as widely expected, to advance to the final contest for karate's maiden gold.