The European Karate Kyokushin Junior (U25) and Junior (U26) Championships will be held at Švyturys Arena on April 16-21. This time, the focus will be on the participants of the U16 kumite (fighting) event.
Klaipėda Shodan School will delegate 16 of its students to the U8 kumite competition: Vanesa Kiesutė (up to 55 kg, coaches Dominykas Juškevičius, Lukas Kubilius), Urtė Gedgaudaitė (over 65 kg, coaches Gabrielius Stanevičius, L. Kubilius), Arna Černiauska (up to 50 kg, coaches G. Stanevičius, L. Kubilius), Jokūbas Jundula (up to 55 kg, coaches Tautvydas Šniaukas, Asta Dauskurtė, L. Kubilius), Džiugas Zalepūgas (up to 55 kg, coaches Dovydas Martišius, Vilius Lipnickas), Karolis Šlima (up to 70 kg, coaches Aivaras Baltmiškis, Laurynas Vaičikauskas), Dovydas Ambrazaitis (up to 75 kg, coaches G. Stanevičius and L. Kubilius) and Žygintas Zabukas (up to 75 kg, coaches T. Šniaukas, A. Dauskurtė and L. Kubilius).
At the European Championships held in Poland last year, the Shodan team won 16 gold, 1 silver, and 3 bronze medals in the U2 Kumite competition.
"This year we hope that home walls will help and we will have plenty of medals and all colors. For all Shodan players, this will be their debut at the European Championship; they have never competed in such a high-level competition before. Despite this, the mood is great, everyone is ready to give their all and strive for the highest results," Lukas Kubilius, president of the Shodan club, told Vakarų Ekspres.
In this age group, he singled out Jokūbas Jundulas, who will have the opportunity to earn European Championship medals in as many as three events: kumite (combat), kata (technique demonstration event), and "Team kata" (team technique demonstration event).
"Jokūbas became the Lithuanian champion in both kata events, and won a place in the national team in the fighting event. Urtė Gedgaudaitė, who became the Lithuanian vice-champion in the fighting event and won a place in the national team together with the "Team kata" event, will also start in two events," said L. Kubilius.
Shodan students have been the strongest Lithuanian school team for 16 consecutive years and the club in Lithuania that has produced the most Lithuanian national team members and European Championship medalists. Therefore, it is expected that they will justify their leadership at the European Junior (U16) and Youth (U21) Championships to be held in Klaipėda.
Improving abroad
The first karate kyokushin club "Okinava", founded in Klaipėda in 1996, also has great ambitions for the European Junior and Youth Championships.
Since 2010, Diana Mačiūtė's students have been representing Lithuania in international and European championships in the U16, U18, and U21 age groups in the kumite event (contact combat).
Athletes participate in competitions, traveling to various countries around the world: Poland, Spain, Bulgaria, Japan.
"Sports club "Okinava" educates promising and wise youth, who not only win medals at European championships, but also graduate with hundreds in state exams, travel to Japan while studying, or even become captains or doctors," said Diana Mačiūtė, the head of the club "Okinava", world and European champion. She is proud that Klaipėda is a sporty region, where many unique personalities grow up.
Coach Diana has raised strong fighters who make the Klaipėda region famous every year.
This time, Kristupas Tirkšliūnas will represent the Lithuanian national team in the U16 age group, having defeated as many as 5 opponents in the Lithuanian Championship and certainly deserving of the champion title.
We already wrote in "Vakarų ekspres" that Okinawan Nikas Kvasys will compete in all three events (kata, kumite and team kata), "Okinawa" will be represented by Kajus Malinen in two events (kata and team kata), as well as Paulius Zibalis in two events (kumite and team kata), Urtė Kaniavaitė, Armandas Čižauskas and Vladas Beliauskas in the team kata event, and Kristupas Tirkšliūnas in the kumite event.
The coaches of the Okinawa athletes are Diana Mačiūtė and Kristina Basova.
How are the rules different?
The president of the Shodan club, L. Kubilius, explained the differences between the rules of junior, youth and adult kumite (fighting) events.
"In youth kumite competitions, technicality is more emphasized. Helmets, hand, knee and body protection are used. Young karatekas are fully protected."
The main goal is to raise that young person to adulthood so that he or she experiences as few injuries, traumas, and traumas as possible. Special attention is paid to safety, so that he or she does not suffer powerful blows to the head or torso.
Karate is attractive because it strives to develop character and technical skills, at least until the child matures and becomes an adult.
And in youth kumite competitions, the rules are already a little different: the same as for adults, only youth use leg guards. There is already full contact, there are no restrictions, no control. Knockouts, knockdowns are possible. The fights in the youth group are really attractive, because there is a lot of contact, strength, and technicality. I think they will really decorate the championship on April 26 in the Švyturys arena,” said L. Kubilius.
The fact that the European Karate Kyokushin U16 and U21 Championships will be held in Klaipėda is a historic event. Before that, karate kyokushin championships of such a rank had not been held in our city.
"Such an opportunity to see the best young karatekas in Europe is truly extraordinary. I would like to thank the city of Klaipėda, which provided partial funding, and the competition is also co-financed by the state budget, which is administered by the National Sports Agency. I invite Klaipėda residents to come to the Švyturys arena on April 25-26 and support their athletes," said L. Kubilius.
Delegations from as many as 18 countries will descend on Klaipėda, and together with athletes, coaches, judges and accompanying persons, a total of over 1 foreign guests will arrive on the Lithuanian coast.
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