Recently, the Karate 1 Youth League concluded in the Italian town of Lido di Jesolo — one of the largest tournaments in the world, bringing together 83 countries and over 3,500 participants.
Ukraine was proudly represented at the competition by athletes from the Lviv “Phoenix” club, whose coaches are members of the Lviv Regional Organization of the All-Ukrainian Trade Union of Defenders of Ukraine: Denys Pichuhin, Olena Pletnyova, Dmytro Fedotov, and Diana Luchechko. Stepping onto the world tatami with fighting spirit and true sporting enthusiasm were Olga and Sofia Babyak, Orest Bokhonko, Denys Kovalchuk, Anna Mandziy, Vladyslav Alyamskyi, and Oksana Mudrak.
Each category included up to 96 participants, making the competition extremely intense. The Lviv karate athletes demonstrated determination to win, courage, and professionalism.
Sofia Babyak stood out in particular, as this was her first competition of such scale. She delivered impressive matches:
- victory over an athlete from Bulgaria (6:3);
- victory over a competitor from France (8:6);
- In her third match, she came very close to defeating her opponent from Greece, demonstrating high technical skill and true champion’s spirit.
The All-Ukrainian Trade Union of Defenders of Ukraine warmly congratulates the team on their strong performance and wishes them further achievements on the world stage!
