Turkmenistan's athletes won 7 medals – one gold, two silver and four bronze – on the first day of the 9th WKF Karate Championship of Central Asia in Samarkand.

The competition brought together 806 athletes from Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, who are contesting medals in the disciplines of kata (demonstration of formal exercises) and kumite (duels) in various age categories.

According to the Karatedo Federation of Turkmenistan, our country's team is represented by 74 athletes at the tournament.

Alymukhammet Kakalyev, student of Ashgabat specialized secondary school No. 61, won the award of the highest standard in kumite among boys under 14 years old in the weight category up to 55 kg. 

silver medals were awarded to Guncha Tagansakhedova, a student of the 6th grade of secondary school No. 16 of the Turkmengala etrap of Mary velayat (individual kata among girls U14) and Safiya Nazarova, a sixth-grader of the 42nd specialized secondary school of Ashgabat (kumite among girls U12 in weight up to 40 kg). 

And the bronze medalists were: Ovezmyrat Sapadurdyev, 6th grade student of the 1st specialized secondary school of the Geokdepe etrap of Akhal velayat (individual kata among boys U14), Aisha Ilgeldieva, 6th grade student of the 1st secondary school of Balkanabat (individual kata among girls U14), Medine Gaylyeva, 5th grade student of the 20th secondary school of Balkanabat (kumite among girls U12 in the category up to 40 kg), and Parakhat Annaev, 8th grade student of the 7th specialized secondary school of Ashgabat (kumite among boys U14 in the weight over 55 kg).