Karaganda judoists won two gold medals at the European Cup among cadets

In Antalya, Turkey, the Kazakh national team was the leader among cadets at the European Judo Cup, winning a total of 16 medals: six gold, three silver and seven bronze. Athletes from the Karaganda region brought two awards of the highest standard to the team's piggy bank.

In total, 550 athletes from 21 countries took part in the competition — 328 boys and 222 girls.

In the weight category up to 73 kilograms, the winner was Yerken Bekkali, a student of the E. A. Buketov Karaganda National Research University.

The athlete hails from the Shet district, and he took his first steps in judo at the children's and youth sports school in the village of Agadir.

Another gold medal was won by Adilzhan Zhaudinov, who competed in the weight category over 90 kilograms. The judoka studies at the regional specialized children's and youth school "Zhas Sunkar".

In the final bout, a resident of Karaganda confidently defeated an athlete from Uzbekistan Alibek Dirdiev. Earlier, Adilzhan Zhaudinov lost to this opponent twice — in the finals of the Asian Cup and the Asian Games in Bahrain.

— Winning the European Cup was very important for us. Adiljan knows how to keep emotions under control. Every international start is a serious preparation and an important stage on the way to the Olympic Games," said Almas Nesipberli, the athlete's personal trainer and coach of the Olympic judo team of Kazakhstan.

The preparation for the European tournament lasted about six months. The athlete has new international starts ahead, including a tournament in Azerbaijan and preparations for the main competitions of the season — the Youth Olympic Games, which will be held this year in Dakar.