2nd place for KCT in the overall standings at the Polish Taekwon-do Championships of ZS PUT

We did it! Our club took the podium in the overall standings of the recent Polish Championships, held at Hala Częstochowa. Read the reports from the competition and learn about the athletes’ fantastic results.

Day 1

On May 21 and 22, the Polish Taekwon-do Championships took place. Naturally, the Krakowskie Centrum Taekwon-do team could not be absent. We went to the competition prepared and with high expectations. For many, it was a chance to test themselves and use newly acquired skills in various events; for others, it was a desire to prove their level to themselves; and for yet others, a desire to have fun. In any case, everyone competing for medals had to deal with stress and emotions.

On the first day of the championships, the youngest competitors (children and pre-cadets) took part. So, after gathering at 5:00, we set off towards Częstochowa, where the competition was to take place. We arrived after 7:00, and then everyone went to registration. An incredible atmosphere could be felt from the very beginning of the competition. As soon as we entered the hall, we greeted friends from other clubs. Alongside success, sporting friendship is what every athlete expects from competition.

The competition began at 09:00, as usual with patterns. Our youngest team showed that training produces great results, because we dominated this event from the start. Within the first few events, we won several medals. As time passed, more medals arrived, and the events changed to speed kicking and special techniques. After that came the long wait for the soft and semi-contact bouts. Here too, our athletes were very well prepared. So much so that in one soft-stick category, Leon, Piotrek and Wiktor from the Nowa Huta section took all the podium places. There was no doubt about the verdicts in their bouts. The boys had to face one another in the semi-final and final, which is always a bittersweet experience for a coach, because the joy of two first places is enormous. But why can’t both of them stand on the highest step of the podium?

After the children’s events, it was time for the pre-cadets. The most interesting of all the events were the patterns and bouts. Even at these age categories, I was surprised by the level of competition. Those who wanted to stand on the podium had to reach the heights of their abilities. Although some of our athletes did not manage to win medals, they return with valuable experience, which will certainly translate into results in the future. Our young athletes performed really well, and the semi-contact training with coach Rafał is producing tremendous results.

The competition ended before 18:00, which is fantastic. The organization of the competition was excellent and worthy of admiration. After the competition and congratulations, some athletes returned to Kraków by coach, while the others, in the roles of coaches, athletes and judges, stayed in Częstochowa for another day of competition.

In the evening, we checked into the hotel and eagerly waited for the next day.

Day 2

On the second day, the team in Kraków boarded the bus at 05:00. At the hotel, we slept soundly until 07:00. We ate breakfast and then went to the hall. At 08:30, everyone had been registered, weighed and measured. It seems everyone made their weight category and no one exceeded the limit. Except perhaps Szymon, who on Saturday, two hours before the weigh-in, was over a kilogram overweight. But that was nothing for him. He did a few jumping jacks and a kilo and a half disappeared as if by magic.

The cadets began competing at 09:00, once again starting with patterns, just as on the first day. Once again, we showed that our forms are at a high level. There were more and more medals. That day, light contact was added to the events, meaning continuous sparring.

As a corner coach, coach Darek ran from mat to mat so he could be there for everyone, but he spent the most time on mat 5. Several of our representatives had their categories there. In semi-contact, Paweł, Piotrek, Filip, Oskar and Karol were placed in a huge category with high grades, which made reaching the medal zone very difficult.  Piotrek and Paweł fought bravely, only to meet in the bout for bronze. At the same time, junior events were taking place on other rings.

At 14:00, the official opening of the competition took place, during which awards for clubs for the previous competition season, certificates related to promotion to master ranks, and instructor IDs were presented. After this event, it was time for the senior categories. This age group also had to begin with patterns. Here too, we left no doubt, winning all the pattern events. In the men’s coloured-belts category, Krzysiek triumphed; in the women’s category, first was Gabrysia and second Kaja; and in the men’s black-belts category, coach Darek took first place, with Szymon right behind him.

After that, we put on our protective gear and waited for the semi-contact bouts. The bouts were difficult and very tight. Unfortunately, the judges often did not help during the bouts—in fact, they got in the way. This unfortunately causes a great deal of confusion and usually makes it difficult to keep one’s nerves under control. Unfortunately, you have to pull yourself together and show class.

Nevertheless, the fighting was excellent, and the entire tournament ended with the icing on the cake: junior and senior tag teams. Here too, it is worth considering whether the senior event should be moved from the end of the competition, when the audience is smallest, to an earlier time, when there are many spectators and younger athletes, because it is the greatest attraction for spectators, and young athletes can see the best competitors in Poland (often their coaches) in action, even on the international stage. After fierce bouts, two of our teams met on the mat in the fight for bronze. The team consisting of Michał Klimek, Grzesiek Pajda and Szymon Grzebyk had to face the “Jesus and Friends” team, consisting of Jesus—Michał Krupa Młodszy—and his teammates Szymon Piotrowicz and Darek Pazdan. Regardless of the result, everyone high-fived, enjoyed the bout and the emotions created by competing together.

The competition, as on the first day, ended before 18:00. We took 2nd place in the overall standings, and our athlete Szymon Grzebyk received the title of best senior of the competition, with a medal haul of 2 golds and a silver, ahead of Huta resident Dariusz Pazdan with 2 golds and 2 bronzes.

Our athletes, who fought bravely for the highest possible results in their categories, deserve great recognition. Even greater recognition goes to the team, which was always ready to help every athlete and, despite legs dropping off from pain, did not show fatigue and tirelessly cheered on their students. Chapeau pas!!!

WE CAN ALL BE PROUD OF OUR ATHLETES AND COACHES!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

CHILDREN

Julia Baran – 1st place soft stick, 1st place patterns, 3rd place speed kicking
Mieszko Bielowicz – 1st place soft stick
Leon Żebrowski – 1st place soft stick
Andrzej Gardeła – 1st place patterns
Wiktor Szabla – 1st place patterns, 3rd place soft stick, 1st place speed kicking
Franciszek Śmieja – 1st place speed kicking
Piotr Zapolski – 2nd place soft stick, 2nd place patterns
Michał Gąsiorowski – 2nd place patterns
Mark Chervinsky – 2nd place patterns
Jagoda Mikocka – 2nd place speed kicking, 3rd place special techniques, 3rd place patterns
Klaudia Kowalska – 3rd place speed kicking
Mykhailo Reva – 3rd place soft stick
Kinga Biedermann – 3rd place soft stick
Antonina Dudek – 3rd place patterns

PRE-CADETS

Szymon Dudek – 1st place patterns, 1st place speed kicking
Oskar Iwaniczak – 1st place speed kicking, 3rd place special techniques, 3rd place semi-contact
Krzysztof Jaworski – 2nd place patterns, 3rd place semi-contact
Magdalena Andrejczyn – 2nd place semi-contact, 2nd place speed kicking
Szymon Kaliński – 2nd place patterns
Kamil Jaworski – 2nd place patterns, 3rd place speed kicking, 3rd place semi-contact
Oliwia Lisowska – 2nd place special techniques
Patryk Zając – 2nd place special techniques  
Jakub Lenard – 2nd place special techniques, 3rd place patterns  
Magdalena Andrejczyn – 2nd place special techniques  
Skander Brahmi – 2nd place semi-contact
Julia Woźniacka – 3rd place patterns
Stanisław Szwed – 3rd place special techniques
Lena Nowak – 3rd place special techniques
Julia Woźniacka – 3rd place special techniques  
Bartosz Węgrzyn – 3rd place semi-contact

CADETS

Oskar Bober – 1st place patterns
Zofia Zapolska – 1st place patterns, 1st place special techniques  
Filip Winnicki – 1st place special techniques  
Emilia Proszkiewicz – 2nd place patterns, 2nd place light contact
Stefania Kotowicz – 2nd place semi-contact, 3rd place light contact
Honorata Kozioł – 2nd place semi-contact
Krystyna Jaworska – 2nd place light contact, 3rd place patterns, 3rd place semi-contact
Paweł Wojciechowski – 2nd place light contact, 3rd place semi-contact
Jan Bosowski – 2nd place light contact
Vladyslav Boiko – 3rd place semi-contact
Piotr Gardeła – 3rd place light contact

JUNIORS

Michał Klimek – 1st place patterns, 1st place light contact, 3rd place semi-contact
Grzegorz Pajda – 1st place light contact, 2nd place semi-contact
Szymon Piotrowicz – 2nd place patterns, 2nd place light contact, 3rd place semi-contact
Mikołaj Chrząszcz – 2nd place semi-contact, 2nd place light contact, 3rd place patterns
Emilia Fiutowska – 3rd place patterns, 3rd place semi-contact

SENIORS

Krzysztof Olewiński – 1st place patterns
Dariusz Pazdan – 1st place patterns, 1st place light contact, 3rd place semi-contact
Gabriela Kowalska – 1st place patterns, 2nd place semi-contact, 3rd place light contact
Szymon Grzebyk – 1st place semi-contact, 1st place light contact, 2nd place patterns
Kaja Pękala – 2nd place patterns, 3rd place light contact

Best athlete in the senior category:  Szymon Grzebyk.

Tag team events—events outside the ranking:

Zofia Zapolska, Honorata Kozioł, Emilia Pruszkiewicz – 3rd place
Antoni Zapała, Jan Bosowski, Władysław Boiko – 1st place
Emilia Fiutowska, Kaja Pękała, Gabriela Kowalska – 2nd place
Dariusz Pazdan, Michał Krupa, Szymon Piotrowicz – 3rd place