The most massive Karate event of the year concluded in Caorle-Venice on Sunday with thousands of young karatekas celebrating their passion for the sport. Russia finished on top of the medal table of a record-breaking Karate 1-Youth League Venice which also wrapped up the season of major international Karate competitions. 

The most massive Karate event of the year concluded in Caorle-Venice on Sunday with thousands of young karatekas celebrating their passion for the sport. Russia finished on top of the medal table of a record-breaking Karate 1-Youth League Venice which also wrapped up the season of major international Karate competitions. 

After claiming 14 medals including four golds, Russia showcased their prominence in underage Karate competitions. Ukraine with ten medals and four golds, and hosts of Italy with 20 medals and three golds also completed remarkable performances in Venice. 

Russian representatives were especially successful in the younger categories, with two golds in Cadet competition - Akhmed Akhmedov in Cadet Male Kumite -52kg and Oleg Nikiforov in Cadet Male Kumite -70kg – and one more title in U14 - Dmitrii Koniaev in U14 Male Kumite +55kg. Anna Shcherbina with her crown in Junior Female Kata completed the list of golds for the powerhouse nation of the sport. 

Meanwhile, Ukrainian karatekas demonstrated a great level in the U14 categories with three titles in the competition of the youngest athletes. Ukraine won gold in U14 Male Kumite -50kg with Vladyslav Shveda, U14 Male Kumite -45kg with Yevgeniy Sereda, and in U14 Male Kumite -40kg with Maksym Tarasov. Zaplitnyi Andrii in Junior Male Kumite -76kg wrapped up the golden count for the Eastern European country. 

Hosts of Italy had plenty of reasons to celebrate since no less than 20 young local karatekas went home with medals. The Italian flag waved in the categories of Cadet Female Kata with Michela Rizzo, in Junior Male Kumite -61kg with Federico Sereno and in U14 Male Kata with Vicenzo Pappalardo. 

The Karate 1-Youth League Venice was the closing event of the inaugural edition of the series of Karate competitions for to the youngest competitors. The Karate 1-Youth League made its debut in 2018 to become a platform for the development of youngsters in their quest to progress in the sport, and it ended with a great success in terms of participation and popularity of the events. 

After the tournaments in Sofia (Bulgaria), Umag (Croatia), Cancun (Mexico) and Caorle-Venice (Italy), next year’s edition of the Karate 1-Youth League will travel to Limassol (Cyprus), Umag (Croatia), Mexico and Caorle-Venice (Italy).