The Triumph of Belarusian Sambо-athletes

The International A Category Tournament - the Open Championship of the Republic of Belarus in the prizes of the President of the Republic of Belarus - accepted about 200 Sambо-athletes from 15 countries of the world in Minsk, on February 23. The Opening Ceremony was adorned by exhibition of rhythmic gymnasts who performed their original show with balls fastened to the gymnastic ribbons. "Kresiva" Circus amazed the audience with the show of a double-jointed and fearless "cat woman" who hovered under the dome of the Sports Palace. The singer Anatoly Dalussky rocked the audience with the refrain of his song "Sambo": "SAMBO, is my life, SAMBO, I'm devoted to you…" The Ceremony was closed by a military orchestra who performed the national anthem of Belarus. We would like to remind you that Belarusian sambists won 4 gold medals and the second place in team classification. In Lithuania, Dmitry Bazylev became the six-time World Champion; Ekaterina Prokopenko won the title of the strongest Sambо-athletes in the world for the second time; the heavyweight Yuliya Borisik got on the planet's highest podium for the third time; and Angela Paim-Kraskovskaya became the World Champion for the first time in her sports career. Belarus is one of the strongest Sambo countries in the world. The Open Championship that took place last Thursday confirmed the high status of the home team. The Belarusians are in the first line of the team classification followed by the Russian and the Georgian athletes. At 52 kg category, Andrey Kurlypo, the bronze winner of World Championships 2011, won by 2 points with overhead throw with foot rest in the belly and activity against the Youth World Champion, the Kazakh athletes Kanzanov the final. The bronze winner of the European Championship, Ivan Aniskevich at the 57 kg weight category, defeated his opponent from Russia, the bronze prize winner of the National Championship Elmar Agaev with minimum advantage which he earned due to his activity. In the final of 62 kg weight category, World and European Champion the Belarusian Vae Tuthalyan won with front leg-show throw against the Champion of the Continental Championships Kazakh Medet Torgaev. In the 68 kg weight category there was a kind of duel of youth and experience. As the result, the many-time winner of World and European Championships, the Belarusian Igor Sedoy lost by 1 and 4 points with 2 throws and remained on the second line of the final protocol. His compatriot, the less awarded prize winner of the European Championship Alexandr Koksha, celebrated the victory. At the 74 kg weight category, the Champion of Asia and the bronze winner of the Lithuanian World Championships, the Kazakh Asylbek Alkey defeated the Belarusian Alexey Romanchik with a minimum advantage. In the final of the 82 kg weight category, the European Champion 2011 Belarusian Alexey Stepankov won by 2 points with outside pickup throw against the Georgian sambist Noko Kutsia - the bronze winner of the European Championships. In the 90 kg weight category, the final drawing brought together the silver winner of the European Championships the Georgian David Gabrilashvili and the Russian Mikhail Polyansky. David Gabrilashvili won by 1 point with advantage and won the gold medal of this Tournament. In the 100 kg weight category, the destiny of the gold medal was decided just 2 seconds before the final whistle of the referee. A spectacular over the back throw on the knees brought 4 score points and the gold medal to the Belarusian Evgeny Semochkin who fought with his compatriot Vasily Kuznetsov, the bronze winner of the January Stage of the World Cup in Uralsk. Near the end of the Tournament, the audience was pleased by a spectacular and bright fight in the most prestigious weight category - over 100 kg. The expectations of the audience were justified by the great public favorite, the five-time European Champion and the three-time World Champion, the Belarusian Yury Rybak. It took Yury less than 2 minutes to win by 12 points with 2 throws and retention and defeated Roman Mikhalchenko from Russia. The Tournament was closed down with unforgettable bright fireworks which gave the audience the feeling of festivity, light and spring. It is in spring when the next SAMBO event will be held - Stage of the World Cup "Kharlampiev Memorial" that will take place on March 24-27 in Moscow (Russia).