Moldova won two gold and three silver medals, as well as a Rising Star award, at the World Muay Thai Championships for juniors. The tournament was held between 3-11 August in Bangkok, Thailand. Moldova was ranked 7th among 86 participating countries, IPN reports.
Artur Grosu, head of the National Muay Thay Federation, told a press conference at IPN that the result exceeded expectations. He thanked the coaches who trained the fighters so well, the parents who supported them financially and morally and the government for sharing the expenses of sending the team to Thailand. “The children are our future and these kids have shown that we have what to be proud of” said Grosu.
Liviu Titica and Igor Duca won gold medals, while Gheorghe Plesca, Marius Covali and David Chiperi won silver medals. The latter also received the Rising Star award for the most spectacular fighter. Ion Ungurean finished on the 5th place after winning two fights.
Liviu Titica said his opponents were very strong, even though he won two of his three fights by knock-out. “I wanted to win, to show that Moldova is at a very high level. It is a very good result for my career, I worked a lot for it”, added the athlete.
For Gheorghe Plesca, this was the first international tournament and he had some emotions. He took on fighters from Belarus, Turkey, Pakistan and Russia, losing against the latter in the final. However, Plesca is determined to get back at the Russian fighter during the next year’s championships.
David Chiperi, who won the silver medal and the Rising Star award, won three of four matches on points. In the final, he lost to a Thai fighter with a difference of only one point.
Coach Andrei Grosu praised the athletes’ show of character and qualities that are rare even among adults. “The have a huge desire to win, to be the best in the world. These youth are doing more for Moldova than all the diplomats together. They are making us famous abroad. I want to thank their parents for entrusting their education to us”, added the coach.
Vlad Dima, the team’s second coach, said that this success is a result of the young fighters’ hard work. “We wanted more, but sport is sport. We are confident and we’ll train to be even better next year”, said Dima.
Muay Thai is a national Thai sport, a fighting style derived from traditional Thai martial arts, which involves the use of fists, feet, elbows and knees. In Moldova, Muay Thai is practiced at an amateur level.
