İdman.biz
The Karate Premier League stage, which starts tomorrow in Cairo, will primarily be marked by Irina Zaretska's (68 kg) return to big sport. In fact, the three-time world champion hadn't gone anywhere, she had simply taken a break due to the birth of her child. Now she is back to prove her skill once again.
Idman.biz reports that her last competition was the World Championship in Budapest in October 2023, where she won.
That success helped her achieve a phenomenal record. The Azerbaijani national karateka has not experienced the bitterness of defeat in three consecutive world championships. In Hungary, she also confirmed her skills by defeating Swiss Yelena Quirici in the final.
Zaretska is one of the most stable karatekas in terms of results. It is no coincidence that no one was able to overtake her in the ranking during the period when she did not participate in competitions. She is still number one and a major contender for victory in any tournament.
The returning karateka has a wealth of experience. For example, before winning the World Championship in 2023, she climbed the honorary podium six times. After winning a bronze medal at the Premier League stage in Cairo, Zaretska became second at the European Championship in Guadalajara, and then celebrated victory at the next Premier League tournament in Rabat. Then the European Games in Krakow also ended with her victory. Moreover, she was the first athlete to win medals at all three European Games, two of which are gold. The karateka then won a bronze medal at the Premier League stage in Fukuoka, and then finished the entire series with a victory with a successful performance in Dublin.
The entire karate world is eagerly awaiting her return, and during her maternity leave, she reassured her fans by saying that she had no intention of ending her sports career. Later, she even addressed an interesting appeal to the World Karate Federation (WKF). She wondered if there would be rooms for children in the competition arenas: "I'm serious, I've started preparing for the new season. But I have a question for the World Karate Federation. Will there be rooms for children in the arenas?"
Speaking of tournament goals, Zaretska will also compete in the World Games in Chengdu from August 7-17 this year. The main competition of the season will be the world championship, which will be held in Cairo from November 27-30. Therefore, the current trip to the Egyptian capital will also be a check-up before the World Cup.
Zaki Feyzullayev
Idman.biz
