Turkmen athletes won two bronze medals at the International Krakow Cup in Traditional Karate, which recently concluded in Poland.The competition brought together more than 870 athletes of various age groups from 14 countries.
In the younger age category among girls aged 1213, a bronze medal was awarded to Medine Gaylyeva, an 8th-grade student of Secondary School No. 20 in the city of Balkanabat, Balkan velayat.
In the senior age category (under 21), the same achievement was secured by Selim Myratdurdyev, a coach and instructor at Sports School No. 1 of the Main Department for Physical Culture and Sports of Ashgabat.
For Turkmen karate practitioners, this tournament became an important stage of preparation for future competitions of a higher level.Traditional karate is an original Okinawan martial art of self-defense focused on spiritual development.
Unlike sport karate, competitions in traditional karate are aimed at demonstrating maximum technical effectiveness.At present, the International Olympic Committee recognizes the World Karate Federation (WKF) as the sole governing body for karate, uniting 200 member countries.
Karate made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2021 Games, where medals were contested in kumite (sparring) and kata (technical forms).However, it was not included in the programs of the 2024 and 2028 Olympic Games.