Young Karateka Stars Conquered WKF Youth League in Poreč
Poreč became the venue for the next stage of the Youth Karate League-1. The season is gradually gaining momentum and more than 3.100 athletes from 72 countries arrived in the resort city of Croatia, who competed among cadets, juniors, and youths under 21 years old. Among them were athletes using “Budo-Nord” equipment.
Poreč is a famous place on the karate map of the world. Since 2020, the Youth League has been held here, in the same year an international youth training camp was organized. Moreover, in 2021 the city hosted the European Championship, so the participants feel at home here.
Of course, the Youth League is notable for its mass character, and the last tournament was no exception. It was here that several stars who had already taken their first steps in big-time sports shone brightly. An example is the Swedish athlete Bao Bednarski Sophie (+68 kg), who competed in the U-21 category and celebrated a victory in Poreč. Last year in Croatia, she competed among juniors and finished fourth. Now she has made an effective leap in her career, trying on a gold medal and recording 620 rating points in her asset. During the competition, Bao Bednarski had five fights, and in the final, she defeated Ukrainian Rusu Yuliia.
So it is quite possible that soon we will see a talented Swede from the “Budo-Nord” team at tournaments among the elite.
Also, the Ukrainian Kozachok Oleksandr (75 kg) got on the podium. By tradition, this category is one of the most competitive, regardless of age. The competition among participants under 21 was no exception. Earlier, Kozachok excelled at the first stage of the Youth League in A Coruña, where he won a silver medal, and in Poreč also got into the top three, trying for bronze. If we sum up the two results, then Oleksandr already has 880 points in the rating – a pretty solid indicator.
Maksym Buhaiov (84 kg) became one of the star karatekas of his age in Poreč. This year, a Ukrainian in the equipment of our manufacturer won the European Championship in Larnaca and then became the third at the stage of the Youth League in Fujairah. The next competition in the U-21 standings also brought B Buhaiov a bronze medal and 380 points in the rating increase.
The tournament was also interesting from the point of view of competition between athletes who are just starting to compete at a serious level. The U-14 age category is full of young talent. Of course, not everyone manages to climb the podium, but the main thing is to make yourself known. For example, the representative of our team Chornyi Andrian (50 kg) stopped a step away from the medal, taking fifth place. But this result can become a claim for the future.
In general, “Budo-Nord” sportsmen were represented quite widely in Poreč. In addition to Swedish and Ukrainian karatekas, athletes from Denmark, Portugal, Lithuania and even Australia, using our equipment, also took part in the tournament. The problem is that not all of them managed to excel, but participation in such competitions is also important, especially at a young age.
If we talk about the results of the third stage of the Youth League, then it was dominated by teams from Belgium and France. They fought for the sole championship, but the karatekas of both teams finished the tournament with seven gold medals. In total, athletes from twenty-one countries distinguished themselves in Poreč, which can be called a remarkable indicator in terms of the development of our sport throughout the world.
It remains to be added that the fourth stage of the series will be held on September 21-24 in Merida (Mexico).
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