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Where there is no law, but every man does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty
Henry M. Robert

Medals to the National Team, and Whistle to the Militia Officer 

3 November, 1998 - 00:00

By Oleksandr HONCHARUK, The Day
In the world championship in unarmed self-defense, which ended in Kaliningrad,
Ukrainian national team won two gold, one silver, and three bronze medals,
placing second after Russia in the overall team standings.

The Day met with the head coach of our wrestlers, first deputy
president of the International Unarmed Self-Defense Federation Oleksandr
Naukhatko.

Oleksandr Korniyovych, we are always seeing the back of our big brother.
Are not you tired of this? Can't you do anything to defeat him?

Of course we can. This year in Siauliai our girls won first place. But
tell me how can we do it regularly, if there is three times more sports
schools in Kstovo district of Nizhegorod oblast than in the whole Ukraine.
Russian athletes came there with three full-value rosters, when we managed
to send only five players to the championship at the expense of Sports
Committee. And the rest team members had to get there by any means, fair
or foul.

There's no cloud without a silver lining.

Yes, young Ihor Kovaliov of Kharkiv placed second (100 kg. category,
weighing in at 93), and Ihor Matsei of Kramatorsk, senior coach of the
female team, placed third.

As far as I know, Matsei enjoyed double success in the tournament.

His student Mykhailo Bakin gave him a real present by winning the title
of World Champion. Viktor Savynov of Kharkiv brought Ukrainian team another
gold medal. I would also like to make special mention of Ruslan Zadvornov,
the winner of the World Cup, who had broken a rib in the very first fight,
but continued to compete and came in second.

The Ukrainian team received two medals made out of pure gold in the
Junior World Championship held in Krasnoyarsk. Now you are rumored to have
received something else.

It is not me, it is our referee of international category Marsel Khasanov,
who is actually a militia colonel, made it into the ten best referees of
the world and was awarded with the a whistle. So address all your questions
to him.

It is rather scary to approach the law enforcer. Would you tell us
about the season's end?

There are two events left - the Students' World Championship in Italy
and sixtieth anniversary of unarmed self-defense as a sport.

As head coach of the World Team, which will compete with the Russian
national team on November 13 in Kstovo?

Savinov and Zadvorny of Ukraine made it into the starting line-up. There
will also be Japanese, Mongolian, Belarus, Armenian, and Azerbaijani wrestlers.

And what will be the result?

We won't come in second.

 

 

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