Gazprom Transgaz Stavropol karate fighters win eight gold medals in Moscow

The fighters of the Gazprom Transgaz Stavropol Shotokan Club won eight gold medals in the Shotokan Karate-Do Championship, Competition and the Russian National Shotokan Karate-Do Games in Moscow.

Taking part in the tournaments were about a thousand karate fighters from over 50 Russian regions. The athletes competed for a place in the Russian national team taking part in the major international competitions of the season.

The right to raise the flag of the Russian Federation at the opening ceremony was granted to Sergey Mashchenko, the most decorated athlete of the Russian team following the results of 2013. In Moscow he won the individual and team kumites among cadets (16 to 17 years old) and also won the silver among juniors, yielding to his teammate Vladislav Ivanov in the finals. It was this outcome that allowed the Gazprom Transgaz Stavropol karate fighter to reach the qualifying standard of the Master of Sports of Russia. Never before until this moment have 17-year-old Shotokan Karate-Do fighters won this summit!

In addition, Danila Mashchenko (10 years old), Alyona Novatskaya (13 years old) and Evgeny Molchanov (14 years old) brought gold to the Stavropol Territory team in individual kumites. In team events the club’s karate fighters had no equals in the 14 to 15 and 16 to 17 age categories. It was for the first time that the whole victory stand in individual events among men of at least 21 years old was won by the trainees of the Gazprom Transgaz Stavropol Shotokan Club. Sergey Umrikhin became the Champion of Russia, Ivan Kiryanov won the silver, while Mkhitar Mkhitaryan and Vladislav Ivanov became bronze medalists.

“The result achieved in Moscow by the karate fighters of our club is really impressive,” notes Alexey Zavgorodnev, Director General of Gazprom Transgaz Stavropol. “I am sure that the athletes, who succeeded in being chosen for the Russian national team, will honorably represent Russia and our company at different international tournaments and will repeatedly please us with their high achievements this year.”