Athletes of the UMMC Sambo Club have won nine medals in different categories on the occasion of the Russian Sambo Championship in Orenburg – the main tournament in the country. They won one gold medal, three silver medals and five bronze medals.

The best result was achieved by Uali Kurzhev (up to 79 kilos) who brilliantly won his new title of Russian champion. The final was particularly spectacular. The champion’s movements and holds were so precise and well worked out that this fight can be studied as a video tutorial. At the same time, nobody suspected that Kurzhev fought in the final with a broken rib.

This weight category became the most “fertile” for the athletes of Verkhnyaya Pychma with two bronze medals, one won by Uali’s twin brother Ali Kurzhev and the other by Denis Sukhanov.

The fifth (!) silver medal in a row at the Russian championship goes to Vladimir Gladkikh (up to 58 kg). Each time he met his rival Sayan Khertek in the final. In their traditionally tough and tense fight, Vladimir lost with a score of 0-1.

The only woman in the UMMC team, Anna Balashova (up to 80 kg), won the silver medal. Throughout the championship she seemed to have no rivals. But Anna had to make an effort in the final where she fought with Janara Kusanova. The fight was absolutely balanced, each had a chance to win but it was Kusanova who finally got the gold medal with a slight advantage.

Another UMMC athlete Ivan Panyukhin in the up to 53 kg category won the silver medal for the first time at the national championships. The beginner Danir Shamsutdinov won a bronze medal in the same weight category.

And finally, bronze medals were won by Daniil Ponomarenko (up to 64 kg) and heavyweight Artur Khaptsev (over 98 kg).

It should be noted that this year, the Russian championship was held for the first time according to the new ISAF international sambo rules and in new weight categories. The winners of the championship will have to go to the World Championships which will take place in November in Moscow and the finalists to the European Championships which will take place in May in Limassol (Cyprus).