W.A.K.O. European Championships 2008 (Varna)
Encyclopedia
W.A.K.O. European Championships 2008 in Varna were the joint nineteenth European kickboxing
championships held by the W.A.K.O.
organization arranged by the Bulgarian kickboxing chief Boyan Kolev, with the second event to be held the next month in Guimarães, Portugal
. It was the second W.A.K.O. event to be held in Varna
and Bulgaria
(the last was in 1992) and involved around 500 amateur
men and women from 35 countries across Europe
.
There were four styles on offer at Varna; Full-Contact and Semi-Contact kickboxing, Musical Forms and Aero-Kickboxing. Only one competitor per weight division were allowed to participate in the Full and Semi-Contact divisions and this also applied for Aero-Kickboxing (which had no weight divisions), while Musical Forms was allowed two maximum per country. The other styles (Low-Kick, K-1
, Light-Contact) would be available at the later event in Portugal. The top nation by the end of the championships was Hungary
, with regular leaders Russia
in second and Ukraine
in third. The event was held over four days at the Varna Sport-hall in Varna, Bulgaria, starting on Wednesday, 22nd October and ending on Saturday, 25th October, 2008.
where punches and kicks are allowed to be thrown by the participants at full force, with strikes below the waist prohibited. Most fights result in a judge’s decision or stoppage victory and as with most other forms of amateur kickboxing, head and various body protection must be worn. More information on Full-Contact and the rules can be found at the official W.A.K.O. website. The men had twelve weight divisions in Varga ranging from 51 kg/112.2 lbs
to over 91 kg/+200.2 lbs
while the women had seven ranging from 48 kg/105.6 lbs
to over 70 kg/+143 lbs
. Unlike previous W.A.K.O. championships there was not an influx of talent at the Varga event with only several repeat winners such as Alexey Tokarev, having won gold at the world championships in Coimbra the previous year, and Serhiy Cherkaskyy and Hamza Kendircioğlu, having won gold medals at the Europeans in Lisbon two years before. Russia
were the strongest nation in the style, pipping neighbours Ukraine
into first place by virtue of having won five golds, two silvers and two bronze.
styles available at W.A.K.O. events. It involves the participants throwing controlled strikes at targets above the waist, with point's scored on the basis of speed and technique with power prohibited. Despite the less physical nature all contestants must wear head and various body protection - more detail on the Semi-Contact and the rules can be found on the official W.A.K.O. website. At Vargas the men had nine weight divisions ranging from 57 kg/125.4 lbs
to over 94 kg/+206.8 lbs
while the women had six, ranging from 50 kg/110 lbs
to over 70 kg/154 lbs
and there was also a mixed team event.
Although not full of recognisable faces there were several winners from recent world and European championships with Zsolt Moradi and Zsofia Minda picking up their third gold medals in a row at W.A.K.O. championships, while Andrea Lucchese, Marco Culiersi, Anna Kondar and Gloria De Bei had also won at the last world championships. By the end of the championships, Hungary
were easily the most dominant nation in the style, winning ten gold, two silver and two bronze, which also included winning the team event as well.
techniques - more information on the style can be found on the W.A.K.O. website. Unlike Full and Semi-Contact kickboxing there were no weight divisions, only male and female competitions and competitors were allowed to compete in more than one category with some countries having than one athlete in each category. The men and women at Varga competed in four different styles explained below:
There were a few familiar winners in Musical Forms at Varga, with regular gold medallists Andrey Bosak and Maria Pekarchyk winning two events each and Veronika Dombrovskaya winning one. By the end of the championships Russia
were the top nation in Musical Forms winning four gold, six silver and one bronze.
. As with Musical Forms, competitors were allowed to compete in more than one category and some countries had more than one athlete in each category. More information on Aero-Kickboxing and the rules can be found on the W.A.K.O. website. Although a lower prestige sport compared to other events, Mikhail Gerasimov stood out amongst the winners by taking gold in both men's events. The top nation in Aero-Kickboxing was Hungary
who claimed four golds, one silver and one bronze, which included winning both of the team events.
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
championships held by the W.A.K.O.
World Association of Kickboxing Organizations
The World Association of Kickboxing Organisations is one the international organization of kickboxing, and the governing body of Amateur kickboxing sport certified by SportAccord...
organization arranged by the Bulgarian kickboxing chief Boyan Kolev, with the second event to be held the next month in Guimarães, Portugal
Guimarães
Guimarães Municipality is located in northwestern Portugal in the province of Minho and in the Braga District. It contains the city of Guimarães.The present Mayor is António Magalhães Silva, elected by the Socialist Party.-Parishes:-Economy:...
. It was the second W.A.K.O. event to be held in Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
and Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
(the last was in 1992) and involved around 500 amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
men and women from 35 countries across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
There were four styles on offer at Varna; Full-Contact and Semi-Contact kickboxing, Musical Forms and Aero-Kickboxing. Only one competitor per weight division were allowed to participate in the Full and Semi-Contact divisions and this also applied for Aero-Kickboxing (which had no weight divisions), while Musical Forms was allowed two maximum per country. The other styles (Low-Kick, K-1
K-1
K-1 is a defunct world-wide kickboxing promotion based in Tokyo, Japan founded by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a formerKyokushin karate practitioner. K-1 combines stand up techniques from Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, Savate, San Shou, kickboxing, western-style boxing, and other martial arts...
, Light-Contact) would be available at the later event in Portugal. The top nation by the end of the championships was Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, with regular leaders Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in second and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
in third. The event was held over four days at the Varna Sport-hall in Varna, Bulgaria, starting on Wednesday, 22nd October and ending on Saturday, 25th October, 2008.
Full-Contact
Full-Contact is a style of kickboxingKickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
where punches and kicks are allowed to be thrown by the participants at full force, with strikes below the waist prohibited. Most fights result in a judge’s decision or stoppage victory and as with most other forms of amateur kickboxing, head and various body protection must be worn. More information on Full-Contact and the rules can be found at the official W.A.K.O. website. The men had twelve weight divisions in Varga ranging from 51 kg/112.2 lbs
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
to over 91 kg/+200.2 lbs
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
while the women had seven ranging from 48 kg/105.6 lbs
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
to over 70 kg/+143 lbs
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
. Unlike previous W.A.K.O. championships there was not an influx of talent at the Varga event with only several repeat winners such as Alexey Tokarev, having won gold at the world championships in Coimbra the previous year, and Serhiy Cherkaskyy and Hamza Kendircioğlu, having won gold medals at the Europeans in Lisbon two years before. Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
were the strongest nation in the style, pipping neighbours Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
into first place by virtue of having won five golds, two silvers and two bronze.
Men's Full-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table
| Light Bantamweight -51 kg | Vyacheslav Kanayev  |
Ivan Sciolla  |
Artem Skobchenko  Wojciech Perit  |
| Bantamweight -54 kg | Serhiy Cherkaskyy |
Franck Gross  |
Filip Ehsan  Ilnaz Sayfullin |
| Featherweight -57 kg | Alexander Shamray |
Damian Ławniczak |
Gregor Debeljak  Johannes Wolf  |
| Lightweight -60 kg | Vasily Zaytsev |
Søren Jørgensen  |
Prodan Iovchev Emrah Ogut  |
| Light Welterweight -63.5 kg | Gabor Gorbics  |
Kenan Gunaydin |
Kostyantyn Demoretskyy Tomasz Pietraszewski |
| Welterweight -67 kg | Edmond Mebenga |
Davyd Ahakhanov |
Ibrahim Cicek Jarkko Jussila  |
| Light Middleweight -71 kg | Christian Kvatningen |
Vladimir Tarasov |
Svetoslav Malechkov Przemysław Ziemnicki |
| Middleweight -75 kg | Andreas Lødrup |
Stilian Angelov |
Pavel Garaj  Viktor Pethes |
| Light Heavyweight -81 kg | Igor Prykhodko |
Artak Aganesyan |
Ferenc Hosszu Igor Emkic  |
| Cruiserweight -86 kg | Mairis Briedis  |
Rafał Aleksandrowicz |
Gamal Hazimeh  Petar Iliev |
| Heavyweight -91 kg | Alexey Tokarev |
Denys Simkin |
Veniamin Davidis  Ladislav Kacmarak |
| Super Heavyweight +91 kg | Hamza Kendircioğlu |
Jukka Saarinen |
Jacek Puchacz Tihamer Brunner |
Women's Full-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table
| Bantamweight -48 kg | Vira Makresova |
Marja-Liisa Väänänen |
Plamena Dimova Therese Gunnarsson  |
| Featherweight -52 kg | Nadiya Khayenok |
Mette Solli |
Sabine Seifert Liza Padazi |
| Lightweight -56 kg | Valeriya Ishakova |
Eva Maria Naranjo  |
Tonje Sørlie Zsuzsanna Szuknai |
| Middleweight -60 kg | Thea Therese Næss |
Maria Konstadelov |
Monika Florek Sanja Samardzic |
| Light Heavyweight -65 kg | Katarina Furmaniau |
Julia Irmen |
Anne Katas Oleksandra Pliusnina |
| Heavyweight -70 kg | Caroline Ek |
Marija Pejakovic | Irena Gavrelova Nives Radic  |
| Super Heavyweight +70 kg | Zeliha Dogrugunes |
Karen Dews | Adina Cocieru  Valeria Mercurio |
Semi-Contact
Semi-Contact is the least physical of the contact kickboxingKickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
styles available at W.A.K.O. events. It involves the participants throwing controlled strikes at targets above the waist, with point's scored on the basis of speed and technique with power prohibited. Despite the less physical nature all contestants must wear head and various body protection - more detail on the Semi-Contact and the rules can be found on the official W.A.K.O. website. At Vargas the men had nine weight divisions ranging from 57 kg/125.4 lbs
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
to over 94 kg/+206.8 lbs
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
while the women had six, ranging from 50 kg/110 lbs
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
to over 70 kg/154 lbs
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
and there was also a mixed team event.
Although not full of recognisable faces there were several winners from recent world and European championships with Zsolt Moradi and Zsofia Minda picking up their third gold medals in a row at W.A.K.O. championships, while Andrea Lucchese, Marco Culiersi, Anna Kondar and Gloria De Bei had also won at the last world championships. By the end of the championships, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
were easily the most dominant nation in the style, winning ten gold, two silver and two bronze, which also included winning the team event as well.
Men's Semi-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table
| -57 kg | Richard Veres |
Robbie Hughes | Jason Doyle Piotr Bakowski |
| -63 kg | Andrea Lucchese |
Viktor Hirsch |
Klemen Buzina Vitaly Timofeev |
| -69 kg | Laszlo Gombos |
Domenico De Marco |
Michael Gebhart  Christian Welker |
| -74 kg | Tamas Imre |
Gregorio Di Leo Gregorio Di Leo Gregorio Di Leo is a professional Italian Semi-contact kickboxer and member of the Italian National Team.-Biography:... |
Morten Spissoy Nikos Memmos |
| -79 kg | Zsolt Moradi |
Stella Neri |
Rami-Alexandras Raslan Billy Bryce |
| -84 kg | Kristian Jaroszkiewicz |
Robert Knödelseder |
Andreas Anelopoulos Zvonmir Gribl |
| -89 kg | Michel Decian  |
Drew Neal | Zoltan Dancso Dave Hetternan |
| -94 kg | Giuseppe De Marco |
Peter Csikos |
Gunther Wenninger Petr Kotik  |
| +94 kg | Tibor Wappel |
Lee Matthews | Daniel Handel Gunter Wohlwend  |
Women's Semi-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table
| -50 kg | Sharon Gill | Valentina Barbieri |
Sinead Beasley Ksenia Guralnik |
| -55 kg | Dorota Godzina |
Sharon McDermott | Linda Fogliano Klaudia Diligens |
| -60 kg | Gloria De Bei |
Ida Abrahamsen |
Emilia Szablowska Fadeeva Svetlana |
| -65 kg | Bojan Dancsecs |
Elaine Small | Irena Kobosilova Ina Grindheim |
| -70 kg | Zsofia Minda |
Ana Znaor |
Natalie Cassidy Adriane Doppler |
| +70 kg | Anna Kondar |
Ciara McShane | Jennifer Otoo Maria Mauriello |
Team's Semi-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table
| Team | Hungary |
Italy |
Germany Great Britain |
Musical Forms
Musical Forms is a type of non-physical competition which sees the contestants fighting against imaginary foes using Martial ArtsMartial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
techniques - more information on the style can be found on the W.A.K.O. website. Unlike Full and Semi-Contact kickboxing there were no weight divisions, only male and female competitions and competitors were allowed to compete in more than one category with some countries having than one athlete in each category. The men and women at Varga competed in four different styles explained below:
- Hard Styles – coming from KarateKarateis a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
and TaekwondoTaekwondoTaekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
. - Soft Styles – coming from Kung Fu and Wu-Sha.
- Hard Styles with Weapons – using weapons such as KamaKama (weapon)The is a traditional Filipino and Japanese farming implement similar to a small scythe used for reaping crops and also employed as a weapon...
, SaiSai (weapon)The sai is a traditional Okinawan martial arts weapon. The basic form of the weapon is that of a pointed, dagger-shaped metal truncheon, with two curved prongs called yoku projecting from the handle...
, TonfaTonfaThe tonfa , also known as tong fa or tuifa, is an Okinawan weapon. It is a stick with a handle, and is about 15-20 inches long. It was traditionally made from red oak and wielded in pairs...
, NunchakuNunchakuis a traditional Okinawan weapon consisting of two sticks connected at their ends with a short chain or rope.-Etymology:The Japanese word nunchaku is the Kun'yomi reading of the Kanji term for a traditional Chinese two section staff....
, BōBo-People:*Bo , name origin, plus people with the name*Bo , name origin, plus people with the surname**Bo , Chinese family names*Bo people , extinct minority population in Southern China famous for hanging coffins...
, KatanaKatanaA Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...
. - Soft Styles with Weapons - using weapons such as NaginataNaginataThe naginata is one of several varieties of traditionally made Japanese blades in the form of a pole weapon. Naginata were originally used by the samurai class in feudal Japan, and naginata were also used by ashigaru and sōhei .-Description:A naginata consists of a wooden shaft with a curved...
, NunchakuNunchakuis a traditional Okinawan weapon consisting of two sticks connected at their ends with a short chain or rope.-Etymology:The Japanese word nunchaku is the Kun'yomi reading of the Kanji term for a traditional Chinese two section staff....
, Tai Chi Chuan Sword, Whip Chain.
There were a few familiar winners in Musical Forms at Varga, with regular gold medallists Andrey Bosak and Maria Pekarchyk winning two events each and Veronika Dombrovskaya winning one. By the end of the championships Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
were the top nation in Musical Forms winning four gold, six silver and one bronze.
Men's Musical Forms Medals Table
| Hard Styles | Andrey Savushkin |
Phil Campbell | Alberto Leonardi |
| Soft Styles | Andrey Bosak |
Nikita Pavlov |
Sedat Sagiroglu |
| Hard Styles - Weapons | Massimiliano Castellacci |
Andrey Savushkin |
Kevin Cetout |
| Soft Styles - Weapons | Andrey Bosak |
Nikita Pavlov |
Filippo Fontana |
Women's Musical Forms Medals Table
| Hard Styles | Maria Pekarchyk  |
Elena Chirkova |
Anastasiya Ovod |
| Soft Styles | Veronika Dombrovskaya |
Inna Bekestovaya |
Danausova Darya |
| Hard Styles - Weapons | Maria Pekarchyk |
Anna Likhonina |
Anastasiya Ovod Elena Chirkova |
| Soft Styles - Weapons | Ekaterina Chizhikova |
Veronika Dombrovskaya |
Danausova Darya |
Aero-Kickboxing
Aero-Kickboxing is a non physical competition, involving participants using a mixture of aerobic and kickboxing techniques in time to specifically selected music. There are no weight divisions as with other forms of kickboxing in W.A.K.O. but there are separate male, female and team categories, with or without an aerobic stepStep aerobics
Step aerobics is distinguished from other forms of aerobic exercise by its use of an elevated platform . The height can be tailored to individual needs by inserting risers under the step...
. As with Musical Forms, competitors were allowed to compete in more than one category and some countries had more than one athlete in each category. More information on Aero-Kickboxing and the rules can be found on the W.A.K.O. website. Although a lower prestige sport compared to other events, Mikhail Gerasimov stood out amongst the winners by taking gold in both men's events. The top nation in Aero-Kickboxing was Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
who claimed four golds, one silver and one bronze, which included winning both of the team events.
Men's Aero-Kickboxing Medals Table
| Aero Individual without Step | Mikhail Gerasimov |
Mihaly Perneki |
İnanç Kahveci |
| Aero Individual with Step | Mikhail Gerasimov |
Husrev Uzunali |
Mihaly Perneki |
Women's Aero-Kickboxing Medals Table
| Aero Individual without Step | Brigitta Gazdag |
Darya Danausova |
Tina Gerbec |
| Aero Individual with Step | Marianna Hegyi |
Olena Sereda |
Darya Danausova |
Team Aero-Kickboxing Medals Table
| Aero Team without Step | Hungary |
Croatia |
Austria |
| Aero Team with Step | Hungary |
Croatia |
No bronze awarded |
Overall Medals Standing (Top 5)
| Ranking | Country | Gold  |
Silver  |
Bronze  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hungary Hungary Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The... |
15 | 3 | 7 |
| 2 | Russia Russia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... |
11 | 8 | 6 |
| 3 | Ukraine Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia... |
4 | 4 | 8 |
| 4 | Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
4 | 6 | 6 |
| 5 | Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... |
3 | 3 | 3 |
See also
- List of WAKO Amateur European Championships
- List of WAKO Amateur World Championships
- List of male kickboxers
- List of female kickboxers
- List of kickboxing organizations