Ali Asef stole the show on the third and final day of the European Cadets Championships in Athens, as the Taekwondo Machine won bronze after reaching the semi-finals in Greece.
Victories against Nikita Tkachenko and Ukraine’s Hlib Kalinichenko saw Ali through to the last four in the -61kg division, before losing out to home favourite Athanasios Fotiou in his third fight of the day.
Sam Kealey of TDO TKD also performed well to reach the quarter-finals in the -57kf category, while Harry Callander and Christina Creighton also fought valiantly on the international stage, exiting the competition in the Round of 16 and Round of 32 respectively.
Ali received a bye through the Round of 32, and faced Tkachenko in the last 16, who performing under the flag of the Individual Neutral Athletes.
The fleet-footed approach of the Taekwondo Machine athlete made him more than a match for his opponent, while his incredible range reaped rewards on a regular basis.
There was never more than a couple of points between the duo for much of their first fight, until a late video replay gave Nikita a crucial lead late on, before seeing out Round 1 17-9.
It was much the same in Round 2, with nothing to choose between the two for much of the tie as the lead constantly switched hands. This time it was Ali who seized the initiative, as an incessant onslaught on his opponent was rewarded with a 16-13 scoreline.
Into the decider, and the tactical battle continued. Neither wanting to give an inch as a place in the quarter-final beckoned.
With the chips down, Ali pounced, and raced into an eight-point lead in the early stages, leaving his opponent to become increasingly desperate as he faced the threat of elimination.
After withstanding all that was thrown at him, a final bodyshot sealed the deal before time had elapsed, with Round 3 finishing 16-4.
Kalinichenko was up next in the quarter-final, with the Ukrainian coming out with intent in Round 1. His constant charges were easily dealt with though, as the Brit picked his spot time after time to race into an eight-point lead after just ten seconds.
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Ali continued to keep his counterpart at bay for the remainder of the bout, and eased to an 18-6 success, before following up with another strong performance in Round 2.
This time it was a much different story, as Hlib’s attacks started to make contact on a more regular basis, as he got himself into an 11-6 lead after 30 seconds.
Not to be deterred, Ali kept to his task excellently, scoring eight unanswered points to put himself back into pole position, with expertly timed attacks proving indefensible again and again.
Things got a little nervy towards the end with just a one-point lead to his name, but after reaching the end of the bout with the score at 14-13, a British medal was guaranteed. The question now was what colour would it be?
With the whole British squad watching and cheering on, Ali faced off against Greece’s very own Fotiou in the final four, and things looked promising in the early exchanges, as the British star raced into a 4-0 lead.
The Athens crowd were raucous in their support for their compatriot, making for a sensational atmosphere around Court 5, with a tense encounter only adding to the drama.
With Ali hanging on to a 6-4 lead with ten seconds remaining, the Greek athlete found a way through to level matters, before landing a crucial punch with less than two seconds on the clock to claim the first round.
That setback proved to be a hard one to come back from as play resumed in Round 2. Fotiou immediately charged into a 6-0 lead, and maintained that advantage for much of the fight, with the final scoreline 17-13.
while there was disappointment not to go further in the competition in the immediate aftermath, Ali and the whole Cadet Team can be proud of their efforts across the competition in Athens, with some well-earned silverware heading back to the UK.
Sam was first onto the mats on Saturday, with the TDO TKD athlete facing off against Vetle Brendryen Eggen of Norway in the Round of 32.
Two well-contested bouts left the British camp biting their nails for much of the 90 seconds, but after edging the first 15-12 and the second 14-12, a Round of 16 tie against Serbia’s Viktor Dobric was secured.
The second seed heading into the competition was always going to be a tough encounter, but Sam handed the test brilliantly. A tense first fight between the pair ended 2-2 with Sam edging it on hits registered.
Another competitive battle ensued after the break, but Sam proved exactly why he has been nominated for the 2025 Most Improved Athlete of the Year Award by sealing his way into the last eight by virtue of a 10-7 victory.
Spain’s Ivan Lopez Matos proved to be a much harder task in the quarter-final though, with the eventual gold medallist winning 9-3, 12-0 to progress.
NTC’s Harry came up against Bulgaria’s Boris Gerchev in the Round of 16, having been given a bye through the first stage of the competition.
A tough start saw the Brit needing to claw back a 10-4 deficit to try and get anything out of the first fight, and some expertly timed attacks saw him turn the tables on his opponent.
Before long it was Harry who was in the ascendency, with his lengthy range playing to his advantage, as he cantered into a 24-17 lead with 20 seconds left on the clock.
Now it was a case of keeping his fight management to keep the inevitable attacks at bay. As the Bulgarian continued to come forward, Harry persevered with his own gameplan, and emerged with a 30-25 success.
The high-octane feel of the contest continued into Round 2, with Boris once again storming into an early lead, this time by ten points to three.
Bridging the gap proved a much harder task the second time around, with the 17-5 scoreline sending the match into a decider.
Third time around, Harry was unprepared to let his opponent race away in the opening stages, as he kept the intensity high from the start to keep the scores locked at 7-7 as we crossed the halfway mark.
Then came the deciding blows, as two quick scores put Boris 12-8 up, with Harry searching for the spectacular to keep his European dreams alive, ultimately to no avail.
Christina struggled to get going in her Round of 32 clash against Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Iva Maric, as she failed to regularly find the scoring shots she needed to overcome her opponent.
A 12-3 defeat in Round 1 was followed by a 10-2 loss soon after, seeing her competition come to an early end.
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