One of the biggest Taekwondo World Cups will kick off this weekend in Sofia, Bulgaria, with the participation of 1,000 athletes from around the world, including 17 mature Israeli athletes.
Leading the delegation is 20-year-old Olympic bronze medalist Avishag Samberg, who will try to win the women’s competition up to 49kg and also score points ahead of the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.
Just a week ago, Samberg participated in the first World Cup of this year in Albania, but finished only in fifth place, and has not been able to reach the podium for the first time since 2019, after losing already in the quarterfinals.
As mentioned, there will be a broad representation in Israel - in the weight category up to 54 kg for men, in which no less than five athletes will take part: Tom Pashkovsky, Eitan Haimovich, Uri Patishi, Roi Stein and Satyo Yosef. Alon Katz and Igor Rogozin will compete on the same day 63 kg.
Nimrod Kravitsky will try to win points ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics when he competes in fights weighing up to 68 kg. Apart from him, Omri Azulai will also participate in this category. Dana Azran will participate in fights for women over 73 kg.
Also taking part in the competition will be Alex Filipov (80-), Sara Ben Aharon (53-), Rumi Khmilevsky and Noa Price (53-), Shaked Aviv (46-) and Itamar Sasson (80-).
In addition to the competitions for graduates, there will also be competitions for youth and cadets, in which quite a few Israelis will also participate.
Were we wrong?
Fixed!
If you found an error in the article, we'll be happy for you to share it with us