BRONZE AT THE EUROPEAN CUP!

Armenia – a beautiful country at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, hosted the GTF Taekwon-do European Cup. If there is an interesting competition in an interesting place, we could not miss it. Mateusz Kopciński had the most reasons to be happy, winning a bronze medal at the event.

The competition took place in Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, from 4–7 October 2018. More than 400 competitors from 10 countries took part, with the largest teams fielded by the hosts, the Russians and the Kazakhs.

Our club was represented by 3 competitors – Adam Zięba, Jan Gorazda and Mateusz Kopciński – and coach Mikołaj Kotowicz. Unfortunately, only Mateusz managed to reach the podium, taking 3rd place in the -90 kg black belt sparring category. The other two were eliminated after bouts against representatives of Kazakhstan and Russia respectively.

 

There is much that could be written about the competition itself. The level, especially of the teams from the two countries mentioned above, was very high. The bouts were at the highest international level. The organization of the tournament, however, left a great deal to be desired. There was considerable chaos, delays, arguments and, above all, a faulty electronic system that had a major impact on the competitors’ results, including those of our Adam.

Armenia itself was a great positive, however. It is a country of breathtaking landscapes. We had the opportunity to see the 2,800-year-old Erebuni fortress, ancient temples dating back 2 millennia, and a nearly thousand-year-old complex of churches and chapels carved into the rocks.

 

In our free time, we explored the nooks and crannies of Yerevan, which is shedding its post-Soviet identity and becoming an increasingly modern …European city. Thus, we managed to make up for the lack of spectacular sporting successes with a spectacular sightseeing program.