October 17, 2013
8thIKO Matsushima Kyokushinkai Karate European Championship was held in Donetsk on October 12th, 2013. Ukrainian team has shown good results and won 2ndteam place (1st – Iran, 3rd – Russia).
5 sportsmen represented Ukrainian Kyokusinkaikan Karate Federation: Leshchuk Olga (1stdan, Lutsk), Bezyazychna Kateryna (1st dan, Brovary), Gavrylyuk Andriy (2nd dan, Brovary), Goncharenko Yaroslav (1st dan, Dnipropetrovsk), Nikulyak Ruslan (Dniprodzerzhynsk). All sportsmen fought well, but only Olga Leshchuk has won silver medal. In the final fight (watch video) she fought with experienced fighter from Georgia Maka Keburia (European champion). Chief of Ukrainian team Dmytro Volynets was unsatisfied with the judges decision, as Olga was equal with her opponent.
On the next day after the championship there was a seminar, and after it the dan-test was conducted. Test judges were Kancho Yoshikazu Matsushima (9th dan, Japan), Hansi John Taylor (9thdan, Australia) and Shihan Roman Shiryayev (7th dan, Canada).
Our greetings to our branch chiefs Dmytro Volynets (Lutsk) and Ivan Zvizdun (Dniprodzerzhynsk) who have successfully passed their test for 5th dan.
