On December 6th and 7th in Bucharest, Romania, the 22nd European Kyokushin Karate Championship without categories and the European Kata Championship were held. 900 representatives from 21 countries took part in the competition.
The Bulgarian team, which was accompanied by Shihan Emil Kostov, consisted of 24 karatekas, members of IKO Bulgaria, of whom 4 were students of Shihan Gergana Apostolova-Kostova from SKK “KUOKUSHIN SPIRIT” Burgas.
The first day of the event saw competitions for children, juniors, youths and girls, while the second day continued with matches for men, women and veterans, and kata for men and women.
Burgas competitor Evgeni Prudnikov won the European title for men +45 years in the heavyweight category. The remaining students from Shihan Apostolova's club - Yaroslava Prudnikova, Ivaylo Romilov and Alexander Ivanov, lost in the qualifications on the first day.
Overall, the team of BKA - IKO BULGARIA won a total of 6 gold, 2 silver and 6 bronze medals.
Shihan Emil Kostov, Shihan Gergana Apostolova-Kostova, Shihan Zihni Hasanov and Sensei Tsvetelina Hristov were part of the judging panel of the championships.