MINSK, 20 May (BelTA) – Belarus’ Tatsiana Matsko won gold at the European Sambo Championships that completed in Gijon, Spain, BelTA has learned.
The Belarusian secured a solid win in the 64kg event over Russia’s Valeria Anisimova. A year earlier, Tatsiana Matsko defeated the same Russian athlete at the European championships in Greece. The Belarusian has won three world championships and four European championships. She is also a champion of the 1st European Games in Baku.
In Spain, the Belarusian national team also won two silver medals (Katsiaryna Prakapenka, 60kg and Volha Namazava, 68kg) and three bronze medals (Maryna Zharskaya, 68kg; Karyna Shut, 72kg, and Maryia Kandratsyeva, 80kg).
In the men’s circuit Belarusian Stsiapan Papou claimed a silver medal in the 74kg event. In the final he lost to Russian Maksim Yudin. Belarusian Uladzislau Sayapin (68kg), Aliaksandr Kruhlik (82kg), Siarhei Lesiak (up to 100kg) earned bronze in Gijon.
Vasili Astapets (68kg) and Yauheni Aleksiyevich (82kg) bagged silver medals in combat sambo.
Team Belarus ranked fourth on the team scoreboard with one gold, five silver and six bronze medals. The leader was Team Russia, with 22 medals, 16 of which are gold.
The 2nd European Games will be the next major sambo event. The sambo tournament will take place in the Palace of Sports, Minsk from 22 to 23 June. A total of 144 athlete will compete in 18 medal events.