From September 23 to 27, the Russian Deaf Sports Bowling Championship for junior boys and girls (aged 14-21) was held in Samara at the Brooklyn Bowl Samara Letout bowling center.
The official opening ceremony welcomed participants, coaches, and team representatives with speeches from Ksenia Dudina, Senior Coach of the Russian National Bowling Team, and Sergey Dorkichev, Chairman of the Samara Regional Public Organization of People with Disabilities “Sports Federation of Deaf Sports,” who wished everyone success.
According to the competition regulations, 33 athletes from eight regions competed for medals in four disciplines: singles, doubles, team events (fours), and all-events.
The junior boys' singles commenced first, followed by the junior girls'. After the qualifying stages, exciting semi-finals and decisive final matches were held. The winner was the championship's youngest participant, Maria Belyakova from the Volgograd Region. Among the junior boys, the more experienced Konstantin Peragin from the Samara Region was in a class of his own.
In the doubles competition, victory was claimed by the Moscow duo Ilya Yeryomkin and Gadzhi Gadzhiyev, while among junior girls, the winners were representatives from the Republic of Crimea, Ekaterina Nosan and Anastasia Chesnokova.
The morning of the third competition day began with a tense moment for all participants — the start of the team event qualifiers. For a full six hours, the young athletes fought for a place in the semi-finals and finals. For many, this lengthy qualification was a true test of endurance. In the end, the podium spots were taken by the most resilient and well-prepared athletes. The winning junior boys' team consisted of representatives from Moscow and the Republic of Crimea, while the winning junior girls' team was a mixed team representing the Volgograd Region and the Republic of Crimea.
In the all-events discipline, the participants' rankings were determined by their total score across 12 games (singles, doubles, and team events). Based on this ranking, the top 12 junior boys and 12 junior girls earned the right to compete for the all-events title on the final day. The winners were Ilya Yeryomkin from Moscow and Anastasia Chesnokova from Crimea.
The four-day competition concluded with an official awards ceremony. The honored guests of the event were Svetlana Kuzmina, Director of the Center for Adaptive Physical Culture and Adaptive Sports, and Sergey Dorkichev, Chairman of the Samara Regional Public Organization of People with Disabilities “Sports Federation of Deaf Sports.” The event ended with a group photo session.
Overall Team Standings (Gold, Silver, Bronze):
1st place - Moscow (6+6+3)
2nd place - Republic of Crimea (5+2+3)
3rd place - Volgograd Region (3+3+7)
Ksenia Dudina, Senior Coach of the Russian National Bowling Team:
"The Russian Bowling Championship became an arena that united representatives from eight federal subjects. However, despite the wide geography, the junior boys' and girls' team line-ups were incomplete, which prevented the formation of full teams for the team events.
In the junior boys' singles, the results met expectations, reflecting the fruits of their diligent training. The performance of the youngest participant, Maria Belyakova from the Volgograd Region, who triumphantly won first place, was a real sensation. It is noteworthy that St. Petersburg participated in these competitions for the first time.
The competitions revealed promising athletes capable of soon competing with adult bowlers. I am confident that participation in the championship helped them understand their strengths and weaknesses and outline paths for further development. I express my sincere gratitude to the coaches for their dedicated work and boundless patience."
Text: Nurlan Tazhigulov, Ksenia Dudina, Anton Zelenin
Photo: Stanislav Kostikov
Translation: Daria Kudelina
