Event report about the British Student Taekwondo Federation (BSTF) Composite Team at the European University Sports Association (EUSA) Combat Championships G-1, held between the 19th and 24th July 2023 in Zagreb, Croatia.

Reporting by Fabian Burkhardt, Board Member British Student Taekwondo Federation and British Taekwondo Member Instructor.

The EUSA 2023 European University Combat Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, witnessed yet another strong performance of a British Student Taekwondo Federation led UK Universities Composite Taekwondo Team. Over six exhilarating days, the athletes displayed their skill and determination, representing their universities with pride, achieving an impressive medal haul and memories to last a lifetime.

The student-athletes’ journeys to the 2023 European University Combat Championships began in November of 2022 at the first competition of the academic year’s tournament circuit, the BSTF’s BUCS Taekwondo Championships Series. November’s Autumn Championships was followed by the Winter and Spring Championships, in which each student-athletes contesting the A-class divisions of WT rules sparring, individual Kukkiwon Poomsae and Freestyle Poomsae battled for coveted qualification spots, their ticket to join the BSTF delegation at the EUSA European University Combat Championships G-1 event in the summer. 28 athletes ultimately securing their spots in Kyorugi and Poomsae, ready to show their best at the highest level of European University sport.

About the EUSA Combat Championships

The EUSA Combat Championships is a huge multi-sport event, second only to EUSA’s combined multisport EUSA European University Games events (the Games take place in even years, with over 4000 student-athletes across 21 sports competing in the same city – a true mini-Olympic Games). In EUSA Championships (odd numbered) years the 21 EUSA sports events are all hosted in different European cities, except for the combat sports which form a mini-Games Combat Championships in the same city. The 2023 European University Combat Championships welcomed 1322 student-athletes from 371 European universities and 31 European countries competing in 4 combat sports (in 4 different stadiums): Taekwondo, Karate, Judo and Kickboxing.

The UK Universities Composite Taekwondo Team

The BSTF’s composite team was part of the winder contingent of British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) delegations heading to cities across Europe over the summer of 2023. The United Kingdom had the largest and broadest representation of British universities ever across the entire European Universities Championships. The Championships were the most successful in BUCS history with 285 athletes and 50 officials from across 45 universities taking part across 12 sports between June and September: Table Tennis, Football, Water Polo, Futsal, Orienteering, Karate, Judo, Kickboxing, Taekwondo, Badminton, Handball and Rowing.

Zagreb 2023 European Universities Combat Championships

Day 1

Day 1 marked arrivals and accreditations, and an introduction to the volatile weather in Zagreb! The BSTF team managers emerged with the team’s first small victory: accreditation passes, restaurant vouchers and room keys for the team secured.

Day 2

Day 2 was marked by team training sessions, briefings and weigh-ins. The athletes familiarised themselves with the venue and honed their skills on the pads, many with their home university coaches in attendance and everyone supporting the wider team with easy camaraderie. The BSTF’s event leadership team, consisting of Fabian Burkhardt (Head of Delegation), Marianna Hurst (Team Manager), and Saimoore Sarsoza (Head Coach), attended the General Technical Meeting in the afternoon. The day concluded with the opening ceremony that celebrated the spirit of university sport and the unity of nations.

Day 3

Day 3 was an exciting day of Poomsae competitions, with the recognised individual categories showcasing intense bouts. Amongst the competitors, Minjoo Han (Goldsmith’s University of London) showed resilience despite a tough opponent, finishing 17th. Janice Jin (University College London), after winning her first round, narrowly missed advancing further, finishing in 9th place. Maximo Libid (Anglia Ruskin University) made short work of his RO32, RO16 and RO8 matches in the recognised Poomsae, only narrowly missing out in the semifinal and securing the team’s first medal, a well-earned bronze!

Day 4

Day 4 saw the Kyorugi athletes eager to showcase their skills on the mats. The level of competition was exceptionally high, with tough draws in various weight categories. The fighters demonstrated remarkable tenacity, representing their universities with pride. Jamie Chan (University College London) fought valiantly despite an injury, finishing 5th in the -49kg Female category. In the -53kg Female category, teammates Shayanne Sarsoza (Anglia Ruskin University) and Valencia Tong (University of St. Andrews) faced each other in a competitive bout, with Shai finishing 9th and Valencia securing 5th place. Elisha Shaw (University of Glasgow) earned a well-deserved bronze medal but had to withdraw from the semi-final due to an injury. Ella Sands (Newcastle University) displayed outstanding sportsmanship in the -62kg Female category, finishing 9th. In the -54kg Male category, Toby Cheung (University of Nottingham) put up a valiant effort but narrowly missed the podium, finishing 5th. Harley Harbisher (Teesside University) and Yohan Nanda (University College London) gave their all in the -63kg Male category, finishing 9th and 5th, respectively. Ericas Luckauskas (University of Portsmouth) claimed another bronze medal for the team, showcasing his prowess in the -63kg Male category. Lucian Procopciuc (University of Strathclyde) contributed to the team’s success, securing a bronze medal in the -74kg Male category. The highlight of the day came when Matt Howell (University of Nottingham) triumphed in his second consecutive EUSA competition, defending the title of Student European Champion in the -68kg Male category and taking home the gold medal!

Day 5

Day 5, the last day of competition, was filled with intense fights in the Kyorugi categories. The athletes faced a high calibre of opposition across all weight classes. Lauren Watson (University of Salford) displayed remarkable determination in the -46kg Female category, finishing 5th. Simone Abley (Northumbria University) showcased her skill and earned a bronze medal in the -67kg Female category. Emily Sutherland (The University of Edinburgh) impressed spectators with her agility and skill, finishing 5th in the -73kg Female category. In the +73kg Female category, Boutaina Mbarki (Middlesex University) fought bravely, earning a bronze medal, while Amy Bone (Teesside University) secured a silver medal after a highly competitive performance in the final. The -58kg Male category saw Shoaib Shahid (University of Warwick) and Zack Sarsoza (University of Salford) fighting valiantly, with Shoaib finishing in 5th place and Zack finishing 2nd and securing a silver medal. In the -80kg Male category, Alfie Walker (Coventry University) showed great determination, finishing 5th. Marian Rachev (University College London), in the -87kg male category, displayed skill and promise, finishing 5th. Chaitanya Keshav (University of Sheffield) narrowly missed out in the +87kg male category, finishing 5th.

The medallists

Students from nine universities returned home with medals in Taekwondo, over a third of the delegation winning silverware. The diverse list is made up of students from: Anglia Ruskin University, Middlesex University, Northumbria University, Teesside University, University of Glasgow, University of Nottingham, University of Portsmouth, University of Salford, and University of Strathclyde.

• Gold: Matt Howell (Men’s -68kg).
• Silver: Amy Bone (Women’s +73kg) and Zack Sarsoza (Men’s -58kg).
• Bronze: Simone Abley (Women’s -67kg), Maximo Libid (Recognised Individual), Erikas Luckauskas (Men’s -63kg), Boutaina Mbarki (Women’s +73kg), Lucian Procopciuc (Men’s -74kg), and Elisha Shaw (Women’s -57kg).

The UK team’s performance overall at the games

Overall, United Kingdom university athletes won three medals in Kickboxing, two in Karate, two in Judo and a fantastic nine in Taekwondo at this year’s European University Combat Championships (16 in total). Across all 21 EUSA Championships sports, students from 15 different UK universities secured 31 medals.

The UK’s Taekwondo team proudly represented each of their universities, the British Student Taekwondo Federation and British Universities and Colleges Sport, showcasing their professionalism, passion and dedication throughout. The athletes expressed gratitude to the officials, BSTF team managers, coaches, event volunteers, local organisers and to BUCS’ Marc Forrest, for their wonderful support.

The EUSA 2023 European University Combat Championships proved to be an unforgettable experience for the UK universities team members, leaving them with fond memories, new friendships, and of course valuable competition experience and WT ranking points. BSTF’s team has set a high standard for university Taekwondo on the European stage, on and off the court. The team are eager to exceed these achievements next summer at the European Universities Games 2024 in Debrecen and Miskolc, Hungary.

About the European Universities Combat Championships

The organisers of the 2nd European Universities Combat Championships were the Zagreb University Sports Federation UniSport (ZG), the European University Sports Association (EUSA), and the University of Zagreb, with the support of partners; the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Croatia, the Croatian Academic Sports Federation, the City of Zagreb, the Student Council of the University of Zagreb, the Student Center of the University of Zagreb, the Sports Association of the City of Zagreb, the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Zagreb, the Croatian Karate Federation, the Croatian Taekwondo Federation, the Croatian Judo Federation, the Croatian Kickboxing Federation, Pride, Jana, and the Zagreb Electric Tram (ZET).

The event was made possible by the dedication of 70 local volunteers.

Results from the Taekwondo competitions at the EUSA Combat Championships 2023 can be found here.

About the British Student Taekwondo Federation

For more information about British Student Taekwondo Federation, their charity’s mission, their EUSA Qualification Event and the United Kingdom’s EUSA Composite Taekwondo Team please contact: office@bstf.org.uk

About British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS)

For more information about British Universities and Colleges Sport, their charity’s mission, EUSA European University Championships/Games qualification, FISU World University Games selection and BUCS national universities championships and leagues please contact: info@bucs.org.uk

About the European University Sports Association (EUSA)

For more information about European University Sports Association (EUSA), and its multi-sport Championships and Games please contact: office@eusa.eu

EUSA news and event photos can be found here.

Photos: Submitted.