The Irkutsk Region Kyokushin team brought home 24 medals

The Irkutsk Region kyokushin team performed brilliantly at the SFO qualifying competition in Novokuznetsk, winning 14 gold, 8 silver and 4 bronze medals. Irkutsk athletes led all Siberian regions in awards, and coach Dmitry Lunev was named the districts best coach. Now 22 athletes from the region will represent Siberia at the Russian championship in Moscow.

The Irkutsk Region kyokushin team brought home 14 gold, 8 silver, and 4 bronze medals from the qualifying competitions of the Siberian Federal District, which were held from February 28 to March 2 in Novokuznetsk. The regional team included 29 teenagers aged 12-18 who took part in the Siberian Federal District Youth Championship, and 7 adult athletes aged 18-35 who defended the region’s honor in the Siberian Federal District Championship.
The Siberian Federal District Kyokushin Championship and Youth Championship were held in the disciplines of “kumite,” “kata,” and “kata-group.” This year, the Siberian Federal District was represented by 250 participants from seven regions: Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, and Kemerovo regions, Krasnoyarsk Krai, the Republics of Tuva and Khakassia, and Zabaykalsky Krai.
In the youth championship, 72 medals were contested in 24 categories, 24 of which were won by Irkutsk athletes. In the championship, 9 medals were contested, 4 of which were won by Irkutsk athletes. Thus, the Irkutsk athletes won every third medal awarded at the qualifying competitions in the Siberian Federal District, and as a result, the Irkutsk Region team has the largest number of awards among Siberian athletes. Dmitry Lunev, the coach of the Irkutsk Region kyokushin team, was recognized as the best coach in the Siberian Federal District.
Despite the regional status of the competitions, the athletes had to prove their superiority in battles against highly prepared opponents. The Russian kyokushin school is considered one of the strongest in the world, and competitions among Siberian athletes precede the Russian-level qualifying competitions, where the lineups of national teams for participation in the world championship are formed.
As a result of the competitions, 22 athletes from the Irkutsk Region team earned the right to represent Siberia at the Russian Kyokushin Youth Championship, which will be held on March 27-31 in Moscow.