President of the Russian Karate Federation Sergei Tsoi told that Ernest Sharafutdinov’s bronze medal at the World Championships was an important achievement for the Russian team, as they had not competed since long time due to suspension.
Sharafutdinov became the bronze medalist of the Budapest tournament on Saturday. In the fight for 3rd place in the weight category up to 75 kg, the Russian defeated Hamza Turulja from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
— This bronze medal is very dear to us, it has a golden tint. The national team has not had international competitions for a long time, almost all the guys recently came from juniors, the whole team is young. And this World Championship is a good start for future victories. I think we will also participate in the next competitions.
Before the World Cup, some comrades wanted to boycott our team. Especially Sharafutdinov, they (Ukrainians – approximately) thought he was a military man. We followed him on the Internet and found photographs. For this reason, they could not enroll Ernest for a long time. But he’s a brave guy, he faced the pressure and won a medal.
Anna Chernysheva was not very lucky, she should have won a medal. She lost to her opponent, whose victory was contested by the Bulgarians, and Anna could not compete for bronze. She is a young athlete, but one of the most experienced on the team, a very talented girl.
We are satisfied with this World Championship, although with a medal we should have been unhappy,” Tsoi told .
The World Karate Federation (WKF) previously allowed the Russian team to participate in the tournament, with athletes performing in neutral status.
Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
