By Oleksandr HONCHARUK, Petro MARUSENKO,
The Day
Oleksandr Lapko is the most titled member of the Ukrainian national karate
team. He is European champion and cup winner, and a medalist in the world
championship. Again, at the Old World championship held in Kyiv's Meridian
sports complex, he was the only one to finish the final bout ahead of schedule.
The Day's correspondents asked him to answer a few questions.
"Oleksandr, did you anticipate this success?"
"Why else did I come out on the mat? In any case, I wrote in the questionnaire
to be filled by all athletes, in the column "Your ambitions at this tournament,"
that I only fight to win. I think my rivals also answered like this."
"A kick seems to be your favorite move. Last year, in the championship
of Europe, you finished the bout with a Dane by knocking him out in the
stomach at the very first minute, and now in Kyiv, during the finals..."
"And why should I put things off? I always set myself a task to get
a clean win, that is, to do my opponent so that he gives up."
"Oleksandr, last year, after the Cup of Europe held in the Norwegian
city of Bergen, all local newspapers called your performance phenomenal..."
"The point is that competition only hosted the champions and medal winners
of Europe and individual countries. So it gathered a very strong contingent.
And the absolute category, like in boxing, judo, and other varieties of
martial arts, is considered the most prestigious, and victory in it testifies
to the strength of a nation's school.
"Incidentally, there were representatives of 18 countries there, and,
as you see, the more athletes from one team compete, the more chances to
achieve success: one can tire out a strong rival, and his teammate finishes
the job, so to speak. It is clear that people who like and know about karate
highly appreciated my individual breakthrough (and I was the only one from
Ukraine) to the winner's circle."
"So you mean very few Ukrainian karate adepts, besides you, are highly
thought of in Europe?"
"No. Last year's champion of Europe Volodymyr Zadorozhny from Zhovti
Vody also is thought of highly, but he has been unlucky lately. He was
ill all last season, and here in Kyiv, even in the qualifying bouts, his
rival was the tournament's only Spaniard (his compatriot, Mario Garos,
is president of the European Kiokushin-Karate Organization), and the judges
found a fault with our athlete, ostensibly a wrong chop, and disqualified
him."
"A few words about yourself."
"I am 26, graduated from the Kherson Pedagogical Institute. I trained
for many years by the Ukrainian national team coach Serhiy Vsevolodov,
and now I have been in Kyiv for over a year, where I practice and work
at the Komblis Sports Club headed by president of the Kiokushin-Karate
Federation Stanislav Blyzniuk. I am married and have a five year-old son."
"What is your relatives' attitude to your less than safe profession?"
"Mother once watched my bout on TV and said her heart might not hold
out. But my wife even came several times to see me compete."







