European Karate shined in Zadar for the EKF Senior Championships 2024

One of the main events of May was the European Championship in Zadar. More than five hundred karatekas from 47 countries performed in Croatia. Among them were representatives of the «Budo-Nord».

This is not the first time that Croatia has hosted the main start of the continent. Two years ago the Euro was held here, and the city on the Adriatic coast once again opened its arms to athletes. The current championship is already the 59th in a row, the previous two were held in Gaziantep and Guadalajara.

It was preceded by the championship of the Executive Committee of the Karate Federation. Further prospects for the development of this sport on the continent, strengthening ties with national federations, and the possibility of holding club tournaments were discussed.

If we move on to the results, the Swedish team included Swedish karatekas in the top ten: Rosenlind Matilda (55 kg) took ninth place, and Nillson Anna-Johanna (61 kg) took seventh. Also included in the TOP 7 Bао Bednarski Sophie (+68 kg).

As for the men’s competition, the result among the karatekas of the «Budo-Nord», who are among the best for the Swedish national team, was shown by Noori Nematollah (60 kg), who took ninth place.

Also in Zadar, a number of karatekas from the Irish national team performed on Budo-Nord equipment. In the weight up to 68 kg, Kelly Caitlin won one fight. She beat Harris Ashleigh from Wales, but lost in the second round to Schroeter Madeleine (Germany) with a minimum score of 1:2. And Kelly Anthony (84 kg) limited himself to one fight, losing to Luka Vasadze (Georgia) with a difference of three points – 0:3.

The European Championship itself was held in a solemn atmosphere. At the opening ceremony, Croatian Minister of Tourism and Sports Nikolina Brnjac, President of the World Karate Federation (WKF) and the European Karate Federation (EKF) Antonio Espinos, as well as the Mayor of Zadar Branko Dukic addressed the audience and Assistant Secretary General of the WKF and President of the Balkan Karate Federation and the Croatian Karate Union Davor Čipek. At the end of the ceremony, Brnjak was presented with a special gift – a set of medals from the European Karate and Parakarate Championships among seniors.

By the way, the parakarate competitions were also very interesting. They aroused great interest, and the very fact of holding the European Championship in karate and parakarate speaks volumes. Among Para-karatekas, Italian athletes showed excellent results. The Azerbaijani team took second place and Croatia took third place.

As for the results of the European Championship, the Turkish became the absolute winners. Germany took second place and Croatia finished third.

The next European Championship among adults and the Para-karate Championship will be held in 2025 in the capital of Armenia, Yerevan.