The championship was hosted by Berdsk, Novosibirsk region. The strongest participants from all subjects of the Siberian Federal District – more than a hundred athletes, including three northerners – competed for medals.
As part of the national team of the Krasnoyarsk region, the pupils of the Norilsk taekwondo school distinguished themselves – Polina Nikulicheva, who became the silver medalist, and Pavel Nikulichev, who won the bronze. The athletes competed in the weight categories of 67 and 80 kilograms, respectively. Another Norilsk taekwondo player, Ilyas Bedelov, unfortunately, did not get to the pedestal.
In the semifinals, Polina defeated her rival from Kemerovo. In the decisive battle she was opposed by a taekwondo woman from Barnaul, who proved to be stronger than the Norilsk woman in a bitter struggle. Polina’s brother Pavel, one step away from the final, lost to a participant from Irkutsk, the bronze medalist of the European Championship. Nevertheless, in the fight for the third place, he broke the resistance of his counterpart and brought an important medal to the treasury of the Krasnoyarsk national team, which helped our athletes to take the third overall team place.
In the interview with the This Is Taimyr, President of the Taimyr WTF Taekwondo Federation Sergey Nikulichev noted that the competition was the first one after the restrictions related to the coronavirus abolishing. At the same time, the participants were skilled. So, in the same weight category with Pavel Nikulichev, Albert Gaun from Barnaul, a Siberian world taekwondo star, a participant in the Olympics and a European champion, performed.
“Of course, we hoped for more. Pavel had the first tournament after a long break due to injury. Polina, on the other hand, lacked some luck – she performed in two fights in a row without a break for rest. We will work on mistakes and prepare for new challenges. We have a lot of work ahead”, said Sergey Nikulichev.
The Norilsk participants, winners of the last championship of the Siberian Federal District, got the right to participate in higher-level competitions – in the championship and the Cup of Russia, which are scheduled for November-December and will be held in Moscow and Voronezh.
Text: Mikhail Tuaev Photo: championship participants
