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By:
Arsim Magjera
- February 10, 2025 20:24 AM
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On Sunday, the final fights of the European Karate Championship for young age groups, namely for cadet, junior and U21 karatekas, took place in Bielsko-Biala, Poland.
On the day of the finals, Kosovo had two karatekas. Both from the Sharri club from Ferizaj.
In the morning, Lijana Iseni competed in the cadet finals, in the 61 kg category. In the afternoon, Behije Mustafa competed in the 68 kg category finals, in the U21 age group. Both were defeated, but returned with silver medals, which is a great success for Kosovar karate. Consequently, also for the Ferizaj club, Sharri.
"The two silver medals are proof of the dedication and tireless work of our athletes and the coaching team. We are always focused on the technical development, discipline and competitive spirit of our students. Such successes motivate us to work even harder for even better results in the future," coach Qëndrim Shaqiri told KOHËN on Monday.
The great karate talent, Lijana Iseni, competed first on Friday and with four wins secured Sunday's final. She made an effort in the final, but the victory was not close. Behije Mustafa competed on Saturday. She also had four wins, one of them against a competitor from Serbia.
In the final, Behija fought a completely equal fight, and perhaps even better than her opponent. But she decided on one detail, namely a tactical element. After the score was 4:4, the winner was declared by the judges. The Kosovar had an advantage after winning the first point in the fight. But she was penalized in the last 15 seconds for leaving the arena, and this penalized her. The judges declared the German karateka, Hannah Riedel, the winner.
For the Sharri club, these are the first two European medals. But medals that it is hoped will serve as motivation for even greater work and even greater successes.
Sharri has dominated local competitions recently and demonstrated the level he has achieved at the European Youth Championships in Poland.
"Our club is characterized by dedication to the development of athletes, team spirit and education beyond competitions. For us, karate is not only a matter of titles, but also building discipline, respect and the sporting spirit of each student. In addition to dominating in competitions, we attach importance to cultivating human values and creating an environment where every athlete feels valued and motivated to give their best," added the Ferizaj coach, who is already the coach of two European junior champions.
Qendrim Shaqiri expects a lot of success from Lijana and Behija. He says that both have great potential.
"They have shown not only talent, but also discipline, dedication and courage in competitions. With continuous work and proper support, they have the opportunity to achieve great successes at the national and international level. These medals are just the beginning of a long and successful path in their sports careers," added Shaqiri.
He singles out the victories in the semifinals. Lijana won 6:0 against a Slovenian competitor, while Behija 10:3 against a Turkish karateka. Turkey is known as a karate superpower.
Aid Curri won the bronze medal at the European Championships on Friday. His success is also considered great for Kosovar karate.
However, it was the karatekas from Sharr who approached the highest step of the podium, especially Behije Mustafa.
There will be other competitions for the two karatekas and other opportunities to sing the Kosovo anthem. But both must continue to work hard in Sharri.
"Our club aims to implement with dedication and efficiency all the plans and strategies drafted by our head coach, Shemsi Shaqiri. With a rich experience and a clear vision for the development of the sport of karate, he has set important objectives that will contribute to the professional development of our athletes. As a coach, together with other coaches, we are maximally committed to ensuring that the plans are implemented efficiently and that we provide concrete results", emphasized Qëndrim Shaqiri.
