From April 23 to 25, Końskie hosted the 15th National Youth Olympics (OOM) in Indoor Sports – Świętokrzyskie 2009. Nearly 200 athletes competed for the title of Polish champion among younger juniors.
– After a series of test competitions before the XV OOM finals, we tried to identify and correct each athlete’s mistakes, both in tactics and physical preparation, so that they would perform as well as possible in the OOM finals – says Mariusz Sulma, president and coach of UKS Ilyo. – The task was not easy. Each athlete had to prepare not only for the sporting contest, but also for fitness competitions and formal routines.
After the first day of competition, UKS Ilyo already had a bronze medal. Paulina Stojanowska, who lost in the semifinal to an athlete from Borne Sulinowo, took third place on the podium in the girls’ under-43 kg category. Remigiusz Różnicki also narrowly missed the podium, ultimately finishing fourth. Patrycja Kopała finished eighth. All three took part in an event of this kind for the first time.
On the second day of the competition, Kamil Serafin, the defending champion, and Adam Filipek, the contender for the gold medal, gave a true display in the fitness events and formal routines preceding the fights.
The Bolesławiec taekwondo athletes performed equally well in the fighting competition. Kamil ended his first two bouts early, including one by knockout, while Adam won his first bout in less than 10 seconds. It was the shortest bout of the tournament.
Ultimately, Adam Filipek took second place in the under-67 kg category, while Kamil Serafin, competing in the under-55 kg category, defended last year’s Polish championship title. Kamil will represent Poland at the European Championships, which will be held in Zagreb at the end of June this year.
(UKS Ilyo information/ii)