First successes for judokas. Kickboxing awaits
The European Universities Combat Sports Championships Warsaw 2025 are in full swing. The judo medal matches went down to the wire. Kickboxing tournament participants are halfway to the podium.
After the opening ceremony, emotions had already subsided and some of the participants had to get up early in the morning to compete. At the OSIR Włochy hall, matches in seven weight categories took place on three tatami mats. Women competed in the 48 kg, 52 kg, 57 kg, and 63 kg categories, while men competed in the 60 kg, 66 kg, and 73 kg categories. Over 320 competitors took part in the competition. The energy of the competitors spread to the stands, which occasionally shouted “waza ari” or “ippon.”
On the first day, the students from the University of Grenoble Alpes performed very well. Emilie Dando won silver in the 63 kg category, and her friend Lenna Bonnamy won gold in the 57 kg category. The French Woman defeated Yane Voloshyniuk (University School of Physical Education in Krakow) in the final.
- This is my first time in Warsaw. However, I haven't had time to explore the city so far because I've been spending my time at the venues. I'm sure I'll have a moment now. It wasn't easy to win gold, but I had a good attitude. I wanted to win every fight - said Lenna Bonnamy.
A moment earlier, Kamil Michna (Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education in Katowice) won the silver medal for the Polish university, losing to Tengiz Thigazheli (Georgian National University) in the final of the over 66 kg category.
- There's always something missing, but this medal was really important to me. I hadn't won any points in competitions for some time, and this was a breakthrough for me. The road to the final was definitely more difficult than the final itself, because in the second fight I had a difficult opponent from France. He was a really tough competitor and we fought until overtime - said Kamil Michna.
The first day of kickboxing competition was marked by eliminations. At the Arche Krakowska hotel, just a few minutes' walk from the OSiR Włochy hall, where judokas competed, kickboxing competitions took place. Full contact, pointfighting, and K1 fights were held in the ring and on the mat. The competitions were held in various weight categories.
The winners will be announced on Sunday, but on Saturday we already found out who won the first bronze medals. In the men's 86 kg category in full contact, Hungary's Marcell Kovacs (Szechenyi Istvan University) lost to Turkey's Gork Damar (Istanbul Kent University) and won bronze. Third place in this category went to Turkey's Onur Ayyildiz (National Defense University), who lost to Czech Martin Lorenc (University of West Bohemia).
In the semifinals of the women's 56 kg category, Olena Shydlowska (Vincent Pol University in Lublin) defeated Daria Naitsheva (WSB-NL University in Nowy Sącz). In the final, she will face Paola Tomrecaj (University of Split) from Croatia, who won her semi-final against Aleksandra Zaleska (University School of Physical Education in Wroclaw) from Poland. Two students from Polish universities had to settle for bronze medals, while one still has a chance to win gold in this category.
- I gave it my all, but I lacked strength and stamina. It was my first international competition and my first experience of this kind. I believe that things will be better in future editions. On the national stage, we know our rivals, the names are familiar, but here I knew nothing about my rival from Croatia and what to expect. This time she won, but I got the bronze medal, said Aleksandra Zaleska.
Julia Marciniak (University of Humanities and Economics in Lodz) advanced to the final in the 60 kg category after winning her semi-final. In the final, she will fight Laura Jakovleva (Riga State Technical School). Wiktoria Śniegowska (University of Zielona Gora) advanced to the final in the 65 kg category. It promises to be a friendly battle for gold, as her rival will be Jozef Oliwia Ścigaj from the Pilsudski Academy of Physical Education in Warsaw.
This is just the beginning of a great celebration of student sport taking place in Warsaw. There was no shortage of breathtaking routines during the karate and taekwondo tournaments, which we will talk about soon. Every fan of combat sports will find something for themselves here, as will every sports fan in general. The Championship will take place until August 25.
More information: https://combatsports2025.eusa.eu/
Wyniki: https://results.eusa.eu/index.php?page=multi&id=123&menu=1&ln=en
Txt: Robert Zakrzewski
Foto: Kamil Rojek