Results karate The 2nd European Games Minsk 2019
Women’s Kumite -50kg
1. AUT – PLANK BETTINA
2. TUR – OZCELIK ARAPOGLU SERAP
3. FRA – BOUDERBANE SOPHIA
3. BLR – KOULINKOVITCH MARIYA
Women’s Kumite -55kg
1. BUL – GORANOVA IVET
2. UKR – TERLIUGA ANZHELIKA
3. LUX – WARLING JENNIFER
3. GER – BITSCH JANA
Men’s Kumite -60kg
1. LAT – KALNINS KALVIS
2. AZE – FARZALIYEV FIRDOVSI
3. ITA – CRESCENZO ANGELO
3. RUS – PLAKHUTIN EVGENY
Women’s Kumite -61kg
1. UKR – SEROGINA ANITA
2. SLO – RISTIC TJASA
3. FRA – PHILIPPE GWENDOLINE
3. TUR – COBAN MERVE
Men’s Kumite -67kg
1. ITA – MARESCA LUCA
2. MNE – HODZIC MARIO
3. BLR – KRAUTSOU ARTSIOM
3. HUN – TADISSI YVES MARTIAL
Men’s Kumite -75kg
1. UKR – HORUNA STANISLAV
2. AZE – AGHAYEV RAFAEL
3. EST – ARTAMONOV PAVEL
3. HUN – HARSPATAKI GABOR
kata female
1. SANCHEZ JAIME S – ESP
2. BOTTARO VOTARO – ITA
3. ESPARTEIRO PATRICIA – POR
3. ELTEMUR DILARA – TUR
kata male
1. QUINTERO CAPDEVILA D – ESP
2. SOFUOGLU ALI – TUR
3. HEYDAROV ROMAN – AZE
3. BUSATO MATTIA – ITA
Women’s Kumite +68kg
1. PALACIO GONZALEZ LAURA – ESP
2. HOCAOGLU MELTEM – TUR
3. KEINANEN TITTA – FIN
3. CHATZILIADOU ELENI – GRE
Women’s Kumite -68kg
1. SILVIA SEMERARO – ITA
2. IRINA ZARETSKA – AZE
3. MELNYK HALYNA – UKI
3. QUIRICI ELENA – SUI
Men’s Kumite -84kg
1. KVESIC IVAN – CRO
2. AKTAS UGUR – TUR
3. MARTINA MICHELE – ITA
3. CHOBOTAR VALERII – UKI
Men’s Kumite +84kg
1. GURBANLI ASIMAN – AZE
2. KVESIC ANDJELO – CRO
3. HORNE JONATHAN – GER
3. ARKANIA GOGITA – GEO
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NEW CHAMPIONS AMAZE AS THRILLING KARATE COMPETITION CONCLUDES AT MINSK 2019
The spectacular Karate competition at the 2019 European Games finished today in Minsk (Belarus) with a thrilling final day of action. Bettina Plank of Austria, Ivet Goranova of Bulgaria, Anita Serogina and Stanislav Horuna of Ukraine, Kalvis Kalnins of Latvia, and Luca Maresca of Italy were the big winners today as they took the last gold medals at stake.
Austria’s Bettina Plank produced one of the biggest upsets of the day with her victory in Female Kumite -55kg. The current European Championships runner-up defeated top favourite Serap Ozcelik of Turkey 5-1 in an intense final bout.
Plank, who lost the final of the European Games four years ago in Baku against Ozcelik took the lead with an early “Yuko”. Even though Ozcelik put the 1-1 soon after with another “Yuko”, the Austrian top karateka had an outstanding end of bout with one more “Yuko” and a late “Ippon” to take the bout and the title.
“This is a dream for me. When you finally have this gold medal around your neck, it is amazing. The European Games is the most important competition for us this first part of the year, so it’s been amazing for us to reach this goal,” said Bettina Plank.
IVET GORANOVA SURPRISES IN FEMALE KUMITE -55KG
The wave of surprises continued in the final of Female Kumite -55kg. Underdog Ivet Goranova upset top favourite Anzhelika Terliuga of Ukraine so to become the new European Games champion.
With less than two minutes to the end of the final bout, Ivet Goranova got the advantage of “Senshu” or first point with a punch action (“Yuko”). Anzhelika Terliuga showed her trade-mark abilities and scored an impressive “Ippon” by “Mawashi geri” kick. Then, the Bulgarian karateka who is ranked 12th in WKF World ranking recovered once again the lead after taking a forceful “Ippon” by leg sweep. Despite Terliuga’s attempts, Goranova maintained the advantage and won the bout 4-3.
“It was my dream to get a gold medal here and I managed to take it. This tournament is the big event before the Olympic Games in Tokyo next year, and I am really happy that I could be part of the Minsk 2019 European Games,” said Ivet Goranova.
ANITA SEROGINA OPENS GOLD MEDAL COUNT FOR UKRAINE TODAY
Anita Serogina avenged team-mate Terliuga’s defeat and took the title in Female Kumite -61kg following a 3-1 victory over Tjasa Ristic of Slovenia. The two new-comers engaged in a disputed bout that finished when 10th-ranked Serogina scored three “Yuko” for one of 18th-ranked Ristic.
“I feel very good. Usually, before the competition even starts, I only have the gold medal in mind. However, in a Karate tournament, many things can happen and small details can drive you to victory or defeat, like being lucky etc… Here, I wanted to win gold so bad. Luckily for me, everything went well,” said Serogina.
KALVIS KALNINS GETS SHOCKING VICTORY
In Male Kumite -60kg, both finalists had claimed surprising triumphs in the previous rounds so to reach the title-deciding bout. In the final, Latvia’s Kalvis Kalnins showed top form and scored four “Yuko” to defeat Azerbaijan’s Firdovsi Farzaliyev. Kalnins who is placed 17th in WKF World ranking controlled the match and upset 8th-ranked Farzaliyev who arrived in Minsk as the current title-holder after his victory in Baku four years ago.
“It is the second gold for Latvia in the tournament, and for a small country like ours, this is very important. This year was very difficult for me but today I had my lucky day. Also, we had very good preparation before coming here in order to succeed in this tournament,” said Kalnins.
LUCA MARESCA TAKES ONE MORE GOLD FOR ITALY
Powerhouse nation of Italy claimed another medal in Minsk after Luca Maresca’s victory in Male Kumite -67kg. The Italian karateka who had two honours in Karate 1-Premier League and Karate 1-Series A as the best result this year beat Mario Hodzic of Montenegro in a roller-coaster of final.
Maresca took a comfortable lead in the match after scoring three “Yuko”. However, when the title seemed in the Italian karateka’s hands, Hodzic scored an impressive “Ippon”. Nonetheless, Maresca connected a late “Yuko” to win the title 4-3.
“I am very happy because the last period was not very good for me. I am particularly pleased because at the 1st European Games I took silver. Here, I could not set for silver or bronze, I just wanted gold,” said Luca Maresca.
STANISLAV HORUNA WINS CLASH OF TITANS
Two of the most outstanding athletes of the sport met in the electric final of Male Kumite -74kg. Stanislav Horuna of Ukraine and Rafael Aghayev of Azerbaijan clashed for gold in a final bout that represented the revolution of new names that took over the competition here in Minsk.
Fan-favorite Horuna showed his prevalence in the bout with a “Yuko” thus taking a step forward to victory. Five-time World champion Aghayev tried to come back, but he soon received a sensational “Ippon” from Horuna who used his kicking abilities to put the final 4-0 in the score-board. It is Horuna’s biggest title as the Ukrainian karateka completes the successful performance of athletes from the Eastern European country here today.
“I can’t describe what I am feeling right now. I have been waiting for this moment for so long, and once it happens, there are no words to define it. You need to experience this feeling,” said Stanislav Horuna.
The medal ceremony put an end to an outstanding tournament that showcased the sensational sporting spirit and emotion of Karate at multi-sports events.
SPANISH KARATEKAS AND UP-COMING STARS TAKE SPOTLIGHT IN DAY 1 OF EUROPEAN GAMES
It was a memorable day of Karate action in Minsk (Belarus) as the Karate competition of the 2019 European Games begun in Chizhovka Arena sports hall. Representatives of Spain and new names of the sport dominated the thrilling opening day. Spain’s Sandra Sanchez, Damian Quintero, and Laura Palacio, Ivan Kvesic of Croatia, Silvia Semeraro of Italy and Asiman Gurbanli of Azerbaijan were the gold medallists today.
Spain showed an outstanding level in Minsk with a tally of three gold medals today. Athletes of the Iberian nation presented a remarkable performance in Kata with the two titles at stake. Sandra Sanchez extended her record-breaking medal streak and claimed her 42nd consecutive award in international competitions.
The current World and European champion added her second European Games crown to her sensational tally of honours after completing a dominating performance in Minsk. The WKF World ranking leader from Spain defeated Viviana Bottaro of Italy in the final after taking a score of 27.32 with her “Chatanyara Kushanku” kata (Score of 26.14 for Bottaro).
“I feel like if this gold was the first medal that I ever won. I saw the results and I felt like a little girl. This title is extremely important to me. We only have one year to go to the Olympic Games, and I am enjoying an unbelievable season. I just can believe that it is going so well. Sometimes I feel like if I was living a dream. All of this gives me more strength to keep on working hard,” said Sandra Sanchez.
DAMIAN QUINTERO TAKES SECOND EUROPEAN GAMES CROWN
The second title for Spain was taken by Damian Quintero who won the crown in Male Kata. The Spanish European champion claimed his second consecutive title at the European Games and extended his domination of the category with an impressive demonstration of Kata abilities. Damian Quintero took a score of 26.88 with his excellent “Anan Dai” kata and defeated Ali Sofuglu of Turkey who got a score of 25.60.
“Four years ago in Baku, when Karate was not yet an Olympic sport, I won gold and it was very special for me. Now, four years later, here I am, with our sport becoming Olympic in Tokyo and I managed to win gold again. It is very important to me that I can still remain in the elite of the sport both in Europe and in the World. It shows the great work and all the efforts in terms of training, physical preparations, nutrition, planning of the season etc.. that we are doing with our coach Jesus del Moral,” said Damian Quintero.
LAURA PALACIO WRAPPS UP GOLDEN DAY FOR SPAIN
Laura Palacio won the last gold for Spaniards today. The current European champion went straight to victory from the onset of the final bout in Female Kumite +68kg after upsetting Turkey’s Meltem Hocaoglu (4-1). Palacio took an early lead 2-1 and then managed to claim two more “Yuko” to put the final 4-1 in the score-board.
“This is such a difficult tournament, with such great competitors. It is very complicated to prevail. All the karatekas here have an outstanding level and you need to be perfect to take good results. You really need a perfect performance in all the bouts. I did not have the qualification to the final on my mind; I was just going bout by bout. At the European Championships, I could not believe that I got to hear the national anthem, and now here I am again with our national anthem,” said Laura Palacio.
SILVIA SEMERARO SURPRISES IN FEMALE KUMITE -68KG
Italy’s Silvia Semeraro produced one of the biggest upsets of the day with her title in Female Kumite -68kg. The Italian karateka who had a bronze medal in the European Championships as the only award this season, defeated World champion and top favourite Irina Zaretska in the final (5-1). Semeraro took early control of the bout with a “Yuko” and an “Ippon”. Despite current title-holder Zaretska’s attempts, the Italian athlete claimed one more “Yuko” to end the bout 5-1.
“I am very happy because this is the result of very hard work. We are going into the Olympic qualification process and I try to bring home as many medals as possible. I have always dreamt of succeeding at the European Games, and now I can go home with this beautiful medal. I want to dedicate this award to everybody, to the whole world, to all of those who have supported me so much,” said Silvia Semeraro.
CLASH OF TITANS IN MALE KUMITE -84KG
Ivan Kvesic of Croatia won the gold medal in Male Kumite -84kg in a true clash of titans. The final saw World champion Ivan Kvesic facing European title-holder and Grand Winner Ugur Aktas of Turkey. In a very technical bout, none of the finalists could score so the match was decided by “Hantei” or decision with the gold going to Kvesic.
“It was a great motivation for me to beat Ugur Aktas who is the WKF World ranking leader. Now I can collect a lot of points for the Olympic ranking. The bout was a technical battle and it went to the referees’ decision. I am very happy to get this gold,” said Ivan Kvesic.
SLIM VICTORY FOR ASIMAN GURBANLI
The last final of the day ended with Azerbaijan’s Asiman Gurbanli claiming the gold medal in Male Kumite +84kg. Gurbanli who is placed 13th on WKF World ranking surprised favourites and won the title after edging 8th-ranked Andjelo Kvesic of Croatia. Gurbanli scored a slim “Yuko” to win the bout 1-0 thus becoming new European Games champion.
Action continues on Sunday with the rest of the categories at stake.
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