‘Karate develops body and spirit, connects people that practice it and, most importantly helps in the fight against daily challenges’, said Mirko Rudić from Montenegro, who helped his team win the bronze in the Kata men’s group tournament. Mirko is just one of the many karateists at the European Universities Games Zagreb – Rijeka 2016. Many of the karateists practice the sport for more than a decade.
Fans of the sport and visitors were over and over again fascinated by the performance of the karateists. Shouts and cries characteristic of karate circulated the sports hall. There were many emotions, from sadness and pain to excitement and happiness. Several competitors needed medical help.
60 athletes participated in the Kata tournament and the competition has never been fiercer. All the participants showed their best form, but the first place went to the most persistent.
The first place in the Kata men’s individual tournament was won by Ali Sofuoglu from the Marmara University in Turkey, the second place went to Peter Fabian from Mendel University in Brno and the bronze went to Botond Nagy from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics and Jose Manuel Carbonell Lopez from the Catholic University of Saint Anthony.
In the Kata men’s group tournament, the gold went to the Istanbul Aydin University, the silver to the Belarusian State University and the bronze to the University Donja Gorica.
The first place in Kata women’s individual tournament went to Dorota Balciarova from the Masaryk University, the second to Maryia Fursava from the Mogilev State A. Kuleshov University and the third place to Margarita Morata Martos from the Tehnical University of Madrid and Alexandra Feracci from the University of Corsica.
In the Kata women’s group tournament the gold went to the Istanbul Aydin University, the silver to the Masaryk University and the bronze to the Mustafa Kemal University.
After a brief intermission followed fights in the Kumite category. The men’s and women’s group tournaments were held yesterday. In the Kumite men’s group tournament, the gold went to the University of Zagreb, the silver to the Budapest University and the bronze to the Sarajevo University.
Palov Jozef Safarik University in Kosice dominated in the Kumite women’s group tournament. The silver went to the Matej Bel University and the bronze to the St. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje.
