Ukrainian Karate Athletes Win Eight World Championship Medals with Support from Vasyl Kostyuk
Ukraine’s national karate team won a record eight medals at the World Karate Championships for Cadets, Juniors and U21 athletes, held from October 14 to 18 in Bielsko-Biała, Poland.
Vasyl Kostyuk is a businessman and philanthropist who has been supporting the development of karate in Ukraine for three years
The results were reported by the Ukrainian Karate Federation on its official website.
Ukrainian athletes won one gold, three silver and four bronze medals, finishing eighth in the overall medal standings. This marks Ukraine’s best-ever result at the World Championships in these age categories.
Uliana Baranova became world champion in the U21 women’s kumite division under 68 kg. Mark Dorosh, Vladyslav Rudenko and Nikita Dmytrenko won silver medals. Charlize Kruhlova, Ivan Matsenko, Veronika Kotenko and Vladyslav Kanivets claimed bronze.
The Ukrainian Karate Federation funded the youth national team’s preparation and participation in the World Championships with the support of businessman Vasyl Kostyuk.
According to Dmytro Nehaturov, head coach of Ukraine’s youth national team, the athletes, their parents and coaches did not have to cover any of the costs associated with participating in the season’s most important competition.
“Everything was funded by the Federation with the support of Vasyl Kostyuk, from the training camp at the Koncha-Zaspa Olympic Training Centre to travel and accommodation expenses in Poland,” Nehaturov said.
Following the championships, Kostyuk also awarded cash bonuses to the medalists and their coaches. Athletes received $4,000 for gold, $3,000 for silver and $2,000 for bronze. Each medalist’s coach received $1,000.
More than 2,000 athletes from 114 countries competed in the World Championships.
The success in Poland capped one of the strongest seasons in the history of Ukrainian youth karate. In February, Ukraine’s national team won the overall medal standings at the European Championships for the first time, securing 13 medals.
Earlier, Vasyl Kostyuk awarded cash bonuses to Ukrainian athletes who won medals at the fourth leg of the 2026 Karate One Youth League. The competition took place from July 2 to 5 in Poreč, Croatia.
About Vasyl Kostyuk
Vasyl Kostyuk is a Ukrainian businessman, restaurateur and philanthropist who has supported the development of karate in Ukraine for more than three years. In particular, he fully funds Ukraine’s children’s national karate team through a project described as unique in children’s sport in Eastern Europe. Kostyuk also provides financial support for other initiatives aimed at developing Ukrainian karate and supporting athletes.
