GAZIANTEP – Slovak karate representative Ingrida Suchánková won a gold medal in the women’s kumite up to 61 kg at the European Championships in Gaziantepe, Turkey. In Saturday’s final, she defeated Germany’s Anna Miggou 2: 1. Miroslava Kopúňová also won the precious metal from the 57th European Championship, who won silver in kumite up to 68 kg after the final loss to the home team Eda Eltemurová (0: 2). The third precious metal was added by the women’s team in kumite consisting of Kopúňová, Lucia Kováčiková, Hana Kuklová, Suchánková, which lost 1: 2 to Croatia in the evening final and won silver medals.

Twenty-nine-year-old Suchánková did not find a winner at the European Championships. At the beginning she had a free draw, in the 2nd round she outclassed Belgian Nele De Vosová 8: 0. In the 3rd round she won 4-0 over the Dutchwoman Lynn Snelová and in the semifinals she defeated the acting European vice-champion of Ukraine Anita Serogin 6: 1. In the finals, she also dealt closely with Miggou. Suchánková won her first gold at the European Championships, so far her maximum was three individual bronze metals and bronze from the team competition at the 2017 European Championships in Izmit. The same metal won up to 61 kg in kumite at the 2016 World Championships in Linz.

Kopúňová escaped the title of European champion only narrowly. After a free draw in the 1st round, she defeated the Armenian Anita Makjan (3: 0), in the 3rd round she did not give a chance to Angela Mojsovska from Northern Macedonia (8: 0) and passed through the Greek Vasiliki Panetsidou (6: 0). In the end on Saturday, she was not enough for the Turkish Eltemurová.

The next medal passed us only narrowly

The medal escaped Tomáš Kós in the kumite of men over 84 kg. In Saturday’s duo for bronze, he lost to the Ukrainian Ryzvan Talibov 1: 6. Dominik Imrich is still fighting for bronze in the men’s 60 kg kumite, his opponent in the fight for the precious metal will be Ronen Gehtbarg from Israel.

• the author: © List
• Source: TASR