20. 02. 2015
Bialogard (20-21.2.2015) Last weekend, the 7th edition of the Marcin Jurecki Memorial (a former Polish representative, participant in the Sydney Olympics) took place in Bialogard (POL). Wrestlers from our club (61kg – Jakub SÝKORA, 74kg - Jakub SCIRANKA, and 86kg - Michael BODNÁR), who competed under the banner of the Slovak national team, were also present at the tournament. This edition was one of the most high-quality in recent years, as 134 competitors from 10 countries competed here. In addition to competitors from domestic clubs and Slovakia, wrestlers from Romania, Russia, Latvia, Finland, Belarus, Italy, Germany, and the distant South African Republic also participated in the tournament. Each of the boys competed in 4 matches, which can help them in further preparation for the individual peaks of the season.
The youngest of our three wrestlers, Jakub SÝKORA, who competed in the 61kg weight category (17), had the opportunity for the first time to experience what it is like to compete at an international tournament among seniors, although he is still a junior by age. Jakub lost in the first match to the Romanian representative J. DONU 4:7 on points, but in the next 2 matches, he dealt with the Poles A. KOLODZIEJ and T. CHOLODECKI by technical superiority. In the next match, our youngest was no match for the more experienced Russian I. IBRAGIMOV and lost to him 5:11. With his fighting spirit and wrestling mind, Jakub showed that he needs to be reckoned with, even though he is only 17 years old.
Another of our representatives, Jakub SCIRANKA, did not start the tournament according to his expectations, when in the 74kg weight category (21), he struggled in the first match with the Italian C. LUMIA 11:7 on points and in the next match, he lost by fall to the Finn H. SELENIUS. In the "repechage" B-group, Jakub started better and in the match with the Pole N. OSTROWSKI, he won by fall, but in the next match with the Romanian M. MINZAL, he lost by technical superiority and said goodbye to the tournament.
The oldest and most experienced of our trio, Michael BODNÁR, competed in the most populated weight category of 86kg, where as many as 29 competitors competed. Mišo faced the older and more experienced representative from Romania, G. STEFAN, in the first round, to whom he lost 0:10. However, this loss only motivated him, and in the B-group, he subsequently dealt with the Poles P. MICHTA and T. KOSMAL by technical superiority. In the fourth match, Mišo met the Pole M. PIETRZAK, whom he defeated 4:2 on points, but he got injured in the match and did not compete in the next match with the Pole P. DUBLINOWSKI.
The national junior and senior coach, Mgr. Miroslav JEDLIČKA, also gave an unofficial statement on this tournament. He expressed partial satisfaction with the younger representatives but pointed out the same mistakes that they often have in common with their older colleagues. "The boys don't finish well-started actions, which costs them a lot of energy, which in the end can also cost them the victory." From the point of view of conditions, such competitions and training camps are necessary and desirable, and the national coach sees them as the only way to succeed, as individual preparation in domestic clubs is insufficient.
In addition to our wrestlers, other Slovak representatives also competed at the tournament, of whom M. Bolotnyuk was the most successful, winning the 61kg weight category, and Michal Dub, who finished in 5th place in the 74kg weight category.
Two of our older competitors, Jakub Sciranka and Michael Bodnár, together with their national team colleagues, completed a two-week training camp in Bialogard with the Polish junior and U23 national teams before the tournament. The assistant national coach and coach of our club, Marek Sciranka, led them at the training camp. After the competition, the wrestlers will move on with the national coach, Mgr. M. Jedlička, to another training camp in Walcz, where they will prepare together with wrestlers from Russia, Romania, and Poland. Of our wrestlers, only the Jakubs traveled to this training camp, as Mišo cannot participate due to school commitments. (js)