Fr om May 26 to 28, the Russian national athletics team took part in the Belarusian Open Athletics Championships for the deaf. The competitions were held at the Dynamo Olympic Stadium, wh ere, in addition to the Russians, athletes from Minsk, Gomel, Brest, Grodno, Mogilev, Vitebsk regions and from Minsk competed.
For Belarusian athletes, these competitions were the main start and selection for the Deaflympics, which will take place in November in Tokyo. The Russian team included both experienced athletes and young athletes with high ambitions for results.
At the opening of the competition, all participants were warmly welcomed by the leaders of various organizations: Ivan Kryazhev, Chair of the Belarusian Deaf Sports Federation; Sergei Skuranovich, Chair of the Central Committee of the Belarusian Deaf Sports Federation; Tatiana Sheiman, Deputy Chair of the Central Committee of the Belarusian Deaf Sports Federation; and Alexei Miroshnichenko, Director of the Republican Olympic Training Centre for Deaflympic and Paralympic Sports.
It rained non-stop for all three days of the competition, which had an impact on the tournament results.
The strongest Belarusian athletes, who were selected for the Games in their respective disciplines, emerged victorious: 100m, 200m (women) - Ekaterina Zhurbenkova; 100m, 200m, 400m (men) - Alexander Lobanov; 800m, 1500m (women) - Galina Kozich; 1500 (men) - Alexander Chernyak; high jump - Roman Hralko, Anna Surovets; triple jump + long jump - Alexander Maistrenko.
Russians won in the other events of the program. Women: 100m hurdles - Alina Krzhizhanovskaya, 400m and 400m hurdles - Asya Khaladzhan, long jump and triple jump - Alexandra Zrakovskaya, shot put - Svetlana Bizyakina, javelin throw - Anastasia Mamlina; men: 100m hurdles - Kirill Nasonov; 400m hurdles - Said Kurbanov, 5000m - Igor Zalutsky; shot put - Denis Khakimov; javelin throw - Kirill Tsybizov.
The competition took place in a friendly atmosphere. An excursion to the State Museum of the Great Patriotic War was also organized for the Russians.
We look forward to welcoming Belarusian athletes to our Russian Summer Championships, scheduled for July!
Text: Nurlan Tazhigulov, Maria Mazhenina, Boris Dvornikov
Photo: Boris Dvornikov
Translation: Daria Kudelina
