Russian Cup: The Skill and Grace of Taekwondo Practitioners
On September 27 and 28, the Russian Cup and the All-Russian Youth Competitions "Future Champions Cup" in Taekwondo were held in Taganrog (Rostov Region).
On the budo mats of the "YugInterProgress" sports complex, as part of the Russian Cup, 84 athletes (38 men and 46 women) from nine regions of the country competed in weight category and poomsae disciplines: Republic of Dagestan, Tatarstan, Ingushetia, Adygea, Krasnodar Krai, Moscow, Rostov, Penza, Sakhalin, Moscow, and Voronezh Regions.
The All-Russian Youth Taekwondo Competitions featured 56 participants (27 boys and 29 girls) from seven regions: Sevastopol, Krasnodar Krai, Republics of Dagestan and Tatarstan, Voronezh, Penza, and Rostov Regions.
The official opening ceremony featured speeches from Dmitry Rebrov, OSFSG President, Inspector of the Strategic Command of the Western Military District, Major General Evgeny Chernov, Andrey Khegai, Senior Coach of the Russian National Taekwondo Team, and Roman Savchenko, Chairman of the Rostov Regional Branch of the OSFSG, who all warmly welcomed the participants and guests.
The men competed for the titles of the strongest in the following weight categories: 58, 68, 80, and +80 kg, and the women in the 49, 57, 67, and +67 kg categories.
On the second day, participants competed in the poomsae discipline in individual performances, mixed pairs, and trios among men and women.
OVERALL TEAM STANDINGS:
1st place — Rostov Region
2nd place — Krasnodar Krai
3rd place — Republic of Dagestan
Andrey Khegai, Senior Coach of the Russian National Taekwondo Team:
"The Russian Cup gathered both leading athletes and the reserve team. The matches were of a high level. The junior athletes, who competed in the adult category, were a delight. The tournament was dynamic and exciting. I thank the President of the OSFSG, Dmitry Rebrov, for his support, the entire OSFSG staff for their coordinated work, the Chairman of the regional OSFSG branch, Roman Savchenko, for his assistance in organization, and, of course, the organizers themselves, represented by Vlas Shapovalov.
At the All-Russian Youth Competitions, our wonderful young athletes demonstrated a consistently growing level of preparation. It was very pleasant to see that we were finally able to implement our project for training the reserve team. I would like this initiative not to fade away and for the first All-Russian tournament to become a good tradition. Thank you."
Text: Nurlan Tazhigulov, Olga Troynikova
Photo: Andrey Khegai
Translation: Daria Kudelina
