Turkmenistan’s athletes won another nine medals – two gold, three silver and four bronze – on the second day of the Central Asian Karate WKF Championships in Aktau. All of these medals were earned in the cadet kumite (sparring) competitions.

The gold medals were won by Safiya Nazarova, a ninth-grade student at Secondary School No. 42 in Ashgabat, and Leyli Hommatmyradova, a seventh-grade student at Secondary School No. 4 in the city of Bayramaly, the Mary velayat. Safiya claimed the gold medal in the girls’ 12–13 age category in the under-47 kg weight class, while Leyli emerged victorious in the youngest 10–11 age category in the under-36 kg division.

Emir Gurbanov, a seventh-grade student at Secondary School No. 27 in Ashgabat, became the silver medalist in the over-45 kg weight category among competitors aged 10–11. Two more silver medals in the same youngest age category were won by Gulayym Dovletova, a fifth-grade student at Secondary School No. 33 in the Turkmengala etrap of the Mary velayat (under 32 kg), and Babageldi Myradov, a fifth-grade student at Secondary School No. 46 in the Ak Bugday etrap of the Ahal velayat (under 40 kg).

The bronze medals were awarded to Shamuhammet Hojayev, a fifth-grade student at Secondary School No. 1 in the Ak Bugday etrap of the Ahal velayat, in the under-40 kg category among competitors aged 10–11; and in the 12–13 age category to Kasym Hallyyev, a seventh-grade student at Secondary School No. 106 in Ashgabat (under 40 kg), Muhammetaly Atdayev, a ninth-grade student at Secondary School No. 19 in Ashgabat (under 50 kg), and Anara Baratova, a seventh-grade student at Secondary School No. 1 in the city of Bayramaly, the Mary velayat (under 47 kg).

Earlier, on the opening day of the competition, Turkmen karate athletes won four medals in the kata discipline (demonstration of formal exercises): one gold, one silver and two bronze.

The 11th Central Asian Karate WKF Championships have brought together around 500 athletes from Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, who are competing for medals among cadets, juniors and seniors in the kata and kumite disciplines.

The Turkmen karate team is competing under the guidance of national head coach Aydyn Charyyev, his assistant Esenbay Yazmedov, and national coaches Maksat Atdayev and Serdar Muhammetnazarov.