Lepel athletes brought home two gold and two silver medals from the ITF Taekwondo Youth Public Association "Vseslav Club" championship.
The organisers stated that the competition's aim was to promote, popularise, and develop this sport within the republic. 116 athletes, members of the YPA "Vseslav Club", and invited organisations affiliated with the Belarusian Public Taekwondo Association participated.
Denis Shnitko, a blue belt holder, excelled in the up to 34 kg weight category, securing first place. He has been training in Inna Popova's section for a long time and is rapidly improving his martial art skills. Vlad Mosharo pleased his coach with a gold medal in the up to 63 kg category. Nikita Shauro and Evgeny Agapenko won silver medals.
Lepel athletes returned with thirteen medals from Minsk, where the XII ITF Taekwondo Championship and Belarusian Championship took place. Even competitors from Latvia, who have a strong team, could not prevent their victories.
Among beginners, in the so-called "fight with an invisible opponent" (patterns), Evgeny Agapenko and Alina Avferenok took first place. In sparring, Ivan Zhuk, competing in the over 22 kg category, and Pavel Sushko, in the 23 kg category, were unrivalled. Nikita Shauro and Evgeny Agapenko fought admirably and secured second place. Egor Khatskevich took third place.
Among advanced athletes, those who have been training for over a year, Sergey Krivitsky won gold in the "fight with an invisible opponent" (patterns). Alexander Semenov and Ksenia Galuzo took second place in sparring. Anastasia Tukhto and Alexander Maksimov had tough bouts and received bronze medals.
In the traditional sparring, which involves the synchronized and effective execution of techniques, Lepel athletes were awarded third place.
Evgenia LYAKH
Photo: Denis Shnitko in sparring.
Photo by the author