Record-setting performance by karate fighters of Gazprom Transgaz Stavropol Shotokan Club in Portugal
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The 28th European Shotokan Karate-Do Championship and the 28th Old World Shotokan Karate-Do Championship finished in Povoa de Varzim in Portugal, where the fighters of the Gazprom Transgaz Stavropol Shotokan Club, members of the Russian national team, won five gold medals.
Taking part in the tournaments held under the auspices of the European Shotokan Karate-Do Association (ESKA) were 522 strongest athletes from 20 European countries. With the direct involvement of the company’s karate fighters, the Russian team set a new record: for the first time a single country won at the Old World Championship and the European Championship all three team kumites among adults, juniors and cadets. No other country has ever shown such a high result before.
Company’s karate fighters – European Champions in team kumites among 21-year-old-and-above men
At the Old World Championship the gold medals in individual events in the absolute weight category were won by Sergey Mashchenko (16–17 years) and Vladislav Ivanov (18–20 years). The same sportsmen were also awarded gold prizes in team events. Moreover, fighters of the Gazprom Transgaz Stavropol Shotokan Club Kazbek Mutaliyev, Islam Nagoev and Alexander Rud also stood out among the juniors.
Vladislav Ivanov (right), three-time winner of Old World and European Championships on tatami
In team kumites the European Champion titles were won by Vladislav Ivanov, Ivan Kiryanov, Islam Nagoev, Sergey Umrikhin and Mkhitar Mkhitaryan who defeated the competition hosts – the Portugal team – in the finals.
All in all, through the efforts of the trainees of Viktor Mashchenko, Merited Coach of Russia, Director of the Gazprom Transgaz Stavropol sports club, the Russian team became the first in the team event of the Old World Championship and the third in the European Championship.
“The result demonstrated by the fighters of our sports club in Portugal is natural,” Alexey Zavgorodnev, Director General of Gazprom Transgaz Stavropol is confident. “This year the karate fighters performed triumphantly at the World Championship in Liverpool and won the Russian Cup again. These victories prove that the sport development strategy presently implemented by Gazprom Transgaz Stavropol was chosen correctly.”
Fighters of Gazprom Transgaz Stavropol Shotokan Club – winners of Old World Championship
Background
Being a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprom, Gazprom Transgaz Stavropol is comprised of 19 branches. The company maintains the line pipes passing through 10 Russian constituent entities and conveying some 70 billion cubic meters of gas per year. The gas pipelines length exceeds 8,000 kilometers. Gazprom Transgaz Stavropol operates 13 compressor stations, 18 workshops and 10 types of gas compressor units (109 items); 13 CNG filling stations with the total capacity of 4,450 refills a day, which makes it possible to sell 92 million cubic meters of compressed natural gas a year; four CNG conversion shops and three shops for the certification of CNG cylinders.
Gazprom Transgaz Stavropol Shotokan Club was founded in 1998. Viktor Mashchenko, Senior Coach of the Russian national Shotokan Karate-Do team is a constant leader of the club.
The European Shotokan Karate-Do Championship and the Old World Shotokan Karate-Do Championship are held every year under the auspices of the European Shotokan Karate-Do Association (ESKA). 16 to 17-year-old athletes (cadets) and 18 to 20-year-old athletes (juniors) take part in the Old World Championship, and 21-year-old-and-above men compete in the European Championship. The final place in the team events of the Championships is determined with the help of two systems. According to the point system (first place – 5 points, second place – 3 points, third place – 1 point) the Russian team became the first in 2013 (43 points). According to the Olympic system, where the number of gold, silver and bronze medals counts, the Russian team became the first in the Old World Championship (4 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals) and the third in the European Championship (1 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze medals).