The WAKO European Kickboxing Cup was held in the Greek capital Athens on January 23-25, where five representatives of Donetsk region became award winners as part of the Ukrainian national team.
The students of the Donetsk Regional Youth Sports School of Kickboxing won four gold medals and one silver medal, confirming their high level of skill.
The winners were:
- Nazar Semenyuk – in the full-contact category in the 48 kg weight class (coach Vitaliy Li, Toretsk);
- Artem Saenko – in the K-1 category in the 54 kg weight class (coach Danylo Prolomov, Kurakhove);
- Valeria Genyuta – in the full-contact ring discipline in the 65 kg category (coach Vitaliy Li, Toretsk);
- Maksym Kutniv – in the full-contact category in the 81 kg category (coach Denys Khar'kin, Kostyantynivka).
Nestor Li won the silver medal in the full-contact category in the 48 kg weight class (coach Vitaliy Li, Toretsk).
The competition in Athens was the first international event in 2026 for kickboxers from Donetsk Oblast. The European Cup was preceded by hard work at a training camp in Moldova under the guidance of coaches Artem Dryga, Denis Kharkin, and Vitaliy Li. High-quality preparation for the prestigious tournament was made possible thanks to the support of the Donetsk Regional State Administration and the Regional State Administration's Department of Physical Culture and Sports.