The European Mas-wrestling Championship in the open format has concluded in Banská Bystrica
The championship brought together the strongest mas-wrestlers fr om eleven countries and was held in the best traditions of world mas-wrestling across all seventeen weight categories. Well-prepared athletes from countries across different continents arrived in the heart of Europe - from Brazil, Czech Republic, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Mongolia, Poland, Russia, Serbia and Uzbekistan.
Banská Bystrica is one of the largest cities in Slovakia, its cultural and historical center. It is the capital of Central Slovakia. The name of the city translates from Slovak as "mine stream." Located in the picturesque valley of the Hron and Nitra rivers, the city has preserved a unique natural landscape.
On the eve of the championship, an excursion to the Museum of the Slovak National Uprising was organized for athletes from different countries. The museum is dedicated to the anti-fascist rebellion during World War II, which was directed against the government that collaborated with Nazi Germany. I would like to note the emphatically respectful attitude of the city's residents towards our shared history. Here, the monuments to the fallen Soviet soldiers who liberated the country from fascism are carefully maintained. Undoubtedly, the modern youth must know about this and not forget the lessons of history.
The solemn opening ceremony of the championship began with a parade of participants in a stylishly decorated venue featuring huge five-meter-high banners, the main striking visual element of which was a character in a traditional Slovak costume holding a wooden stick called "mas" high in the air. Athletes carrying their national flags marched past the audience, who greeted them with loud ovations. According to the ancient tradition of the Sakha people, any significant event begins with the blessing ritual "algys." Nikolai Yegorov from Amga blessed the participants with a sacred Yakut attribute specially intended for this purpose— a "deybiir" made of horsehair.
The first to deliver a welcoming speech was the host, President of the Slovak Mas-wrestling Association Ján Matej. He officially opened the European Championship, after which the national anthem of the Slovak Republic was performed live. All those present stood still under the gentle and solemn sounds of the violin, which soared effortlessly beneath the arches of the grand hall, making everyone feel the grandeur of the patriotic musical composition in a unique way.
Deputy Chairman of the Banská Bystrica City Administration Mr. Mikuláš Pal spoke warm words of welcome to the participants who had arrived from abroad.
On behalf of the leadership of the authoritative international sports organization, IMWF Vice President Lena Tomskaya greeted the participants of the sports festival in the Slovak language and thanked colleagues for the good cause aimed at strengthening friendship between peoples.
The Ambassador of World Mas-wrestling, representative of the IMWF General Partner – the Joint Stock Company "Railways of Yakutia" Yulia Ryasnova delivered a brilliant speech, which served as a kind of assessment of the joint efforts of enthusiasts from different countries in popularizing the unique Yakut martial art. Yulia Ivanovna presented commemorative gifts to President Jan Matej, Vice President Oliver Kurek, and Attaché of the Embassy of Russia in Slovakia Vitaliy Zhytniuk.
Vice President of the Slovak Mas-wrestling Association Oliver Kurek presented a commemorative medal from Slovak Minister of Sport and Tourism Rudolf Guliak to Minister of Physical Culture and Sport of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Leonid Spiridonov. It will be delivered to Yakutia through official channels along with an accompanying letter of gratitude.
The cultural program at the opening ceremony was rich. Dance groups took turns performing for an hour, impressing with the beauty of the Slovak national costume, the skill of the performers, and their cheerful enthusiasm. Maria Shishigina-Palsson delivered a musical greeting from Yakutia—the birthplace of mas-wrestling—by playing the Yakut khomus. Maria and her husband Arnar from Iceland are engaged in significant peacekeeping activities here in Europe.
The main rivalry on the Slovak platform was predictably between the athletes of Russia and Kyrgyzstan. In this context, the nomads fielded their best, first team, thereby immediately declaring their claims to the leading positions in the final standings. And so it happened. Thanks to the open competition format, Abdykadyrova Elza, Egizbaeva Saule, Imankanova Dilbara, Bolotbekova Eldana, Kochkonbaeva Ramina, Asanov Aziz, Toktoshev Bekmyrza, Roman uulu Bakyt, and Yrysbaev Ulukbek became European champions and left no chance for victory to their opponents in their respective weight categories. The national team from the Kyrgyz Republic, under the guidance of coach Marat Ramatov, secured first place in the team standings by a significant margin.
Russians Zabolotsky Semyon, Migalkin Aisen, Atastyrov Aisen, Chernogradsky Pavel, Gubaidullin Mikhail, Galkin Ivan, having won gold medals, confirmed their superiority among men and brought the Russian team to second place in the overall standings.
In extremely tough bouts with the world's strongest athletes, the Slovak team secured the third honorable place. It is worth noting that this year has not been very successful for our Slovak colleagues, as their leaders suffered various injuries during performances at major international starts, which prevented them from fielding more top-class athletes. Needless to say, how sorry we are that the competition was not graced by the world champion, two-time world championship silver medalist Oliver Kurek, whose spectacular entrances with high jumps before bouts are watched by the entire mas-wrestling world. However, Jana Vašková – a student of coach Marcel Matej – delighted us once again. Jana consistently shows high results year after year, never relinquishing her leading position in the women's 85 kg category. Without exaggeration, Jana is the pride and symbol of Slovak mas-wrestling. Oliver Sidorjak performed excellently. He was just a little short of the champion title, and I think we can confidently say that his "silver" definitely has a golden sheen.
Glory to our Mongolian friends who, despite the significant financial costs of organizing the World Championship this August, managed to send novice mas-wrestlers abroad to gain experience. So to speak, to get a taste of gunpowder. The athletes were personally supported by the president of the National Mas-wrestling Federation, Munkhsuren Erdenebaatar.
Sergey Trofimenko from Uzbekistan, as always, fought like a lion. Only the Russian bear from the Urals with the telling name Mikhail and the surname Gubaidullin was able to withstand his pressure and snatch the coveted victory.
We thank our Serbian brothers, Bor and Vlad Ratkov, for maintaining excellent athletic form despite having few opportunities to fully participate in international competitions these days. We congratulate the leader of Serbian mas-wrestling, Nemanja Lekovic, on his well-deserved silver medal.
A medal of the same value was won by the Polish mas-wrestler Szymon Niemiec. We were very happy to meet him again after a long break. Piotr Oszczyłowski never ceases to amaze us with his dedication to mas-wrestling—he does not miss a single significant project held under the umbrella of the International Mas-wrestling Federation.
An ode should also be sung to the mas-wrestlers from South and North America – Rodrigo Ozorio de Lima from Brazil and Vladimir Burnashev, a citizen of Mexico. We place great hopes on them for the further development of mas-wrestling overseas.
And perhaps the greatest enthusiast of mas-wrestling, a man with an engineering mindset, a citizen of the world, Zviadi Gvenetadze. There is hardly a place wh ere he hasn't introduced his inventions for training pulling strength. A low bow to him.
The silver medalist of the World Mas-wrestling Championship fr om the Czech Republic, this year's discovery Martin Petrzilka, could not participate in person due to injury, but successfully assisted Algys Skryabin from Prague.
We have already grown accustomed to the situation wh ere athletes competing individually are supported by athletes from other countries. No one is surprised when an Uzbek athlete escorts a Mexican competitor and, with their guidance, helps them, and that competitor, in turn, helps a Brazilian. This is in our spirit! Many come to our events precisely for this—to fully experience the spirit of our brotherhood, to test their strength against each other on the platform, to climb the stairs to the arena under the bright spotlights and, in front of everyone, to battle against equals. An incomparable pleasure! Even when losing, fighters do not leave defeated, because they know that by conceding this match, they will begin preparing for the next one. Defeat is the best motivation for a true athlete. And it's unknown who will find it harder psychologically later—the reigning champion or their opponent, eager to dethrone them. The endless cycle of an athlete's life.
The organizers provided a live broadcast, so there is no need to recount what was seen. Professional video recording is being conducted throughout the competition for individual clips. The championships are also being covered by Ulyana Vishnyakova, a correspondent for the Russian federal channel MATCH TV, whose original work is already familiar to a wide audience from the final reports of the "Games of Manchary" in Yakutia and the VII World Mas-Wrestling Championship in Mongolia.
The referee team, consisting mainly of specialists who arrived from Mongolia, worked excellently. This is the school of Egor Ermolaev – Chairman of the Judicial and Disciplinary Committee of the International Mas-wrestling Federation.
At the conclusion of the competition, there was, of course, the moment that unites us all. This is the mandatory group photo taken to the shouts of "Uruy! Aikhal!" Later, we will all be looking at the captured moment of shared happiness, listing by name all our... But we are not saying goodbye yet. Tomorrow we have a new meeting. An absolute championship will be held among the participants of today's championship.
To be continued...
List of the prize-winners
Women 55 kg
1. Abdykadyrova Elza - Kyrgyzstan
Coach - Ataibek Uluu Keldibek
2. Mikhailova Angelina - Russia
3. Dorligjav Namuunaa - Mongolia
Women 60 kg
1. Egizbaeva Saule - Kyrgyzstan
Coach - Ramatov Marat
2. Misovcikova Ema - Slovakia
Women 65 kg
1. Ermanova Charoskhon - Uzbekistan
Coach - Kadirov IIyas
2. Batmunkh Delgermaa - Mongolia
Women 70 kg
1. Imankanova Dilbara - Kyrgyzstan
Coach - Ramatov Marat
2. Kerimkulova Adema - Kyrgyzstan
Women 75 kg
1. Bolotbekova Eldana - Kyrgyzstan
Coach - Ramatov Marat
2. Borisova Anna Russia
Women 85 kg
1. Vaskova Jana Slovakia
Coach - Jan Matej - junior
2. Bochniak Barbora - Poland
Women 85+ kg
1. Kochkonbayeva Ramina - Kyrgyzstan
Coach - Ataibek Uluu Keldibek
2. Aminova Malvina - Russia
Men 60 kg
1. Asanov Aziz - Kyrgyzstan
Coach - Ramatov Marat
2. Baishev Vladimir - Russia
3. Osório de Lima Rodrigo - Brasil
3. Tuvshinbayar Bum-erdene Mongolia
Men 65 kg
1. Zabolotskii Semen - Russia
Coach - Atastyrov Aisen
2. Lekovic Nemanja - Serbia
3. Mashbat Nyamlkhagva - Mongolia
Men 70 kg
1. Migalkin Aisien - Russia
Coach - Chempin Vasilii
2. Asanov Azamat - Kyrgyzstan
3. Tursunbekov Daniiar - Kyrgyzstan
3. Gvenetadze Zviadi - Georgia
Men 75 kg
1. Toktoshev Bekmyrza - Kyrgyzstan
Coach - Ramatov Marat
2. Burnashev Vladimir - Mexico
3. Safarov Amal - Russia
3. Skriabin Algis - Czech Republic
Men 80 kg
1. Atastyrov Aisen - Russia
Coach - Gotovtsev Ivan
2. Turdushev Zhanarbek - Kyrgyzstan
3. Omuraliev Bekzhan - Kyrgyzstan
3. Harom Adam - Slovakia
Men 85 kg
1. Roman uulu Bakyt - Kyrgyzstan
Coach - Ataibek Uluu Keldibek
2. Lukin Egor - Russia
3. Buvala Jozef - Slovakia
3. Kitanovic Attila - Slovakia
Men 90 kg
1. Chernogradskii Pavel - Russia
Coach - Konstantinov Nikolay
2. Esengul uulu Medetkan - Kyrgyzstan
3. Ratkov Bora - Serbia
3. Khishigtogtokh Usukh-erdene - Mongolia
Men 105 kg
1. Gubaidullin Mikhail - Russia
Coach - Kazakov Alexey
2. Trofimenko Sergey - Uzbekistan
3. Sidorjak Oliver - Slovakia
3. Akylbek uulu Erzhan - Kyrgyzstan
Men 125 kg
1. Yrysbaev Ulukbek - Kyrgyzstan
Coach - Ataibek uluu Keldibek
2. Niemiec Szymon Lech - Poland
3. Yaskanich Erik - Slovakia
Men 125+ kg
1. Galkin Ivan - Russia
Coach - Tsukanov Vladimir
2. Esengulov Abdel - Kyrgyzstan
3. Ratkov Vlada - Serbia
Chief referee - J. Matej (Slovakia), International category
Chief secretary - A-К. Anufrieva (Russia), National category
