Ukraine scores double bronze as kickboxers dazzle at World Games 2025
Daryna Ivanova won a bronze medal at the 2025 World Games (photo: facebook.com/minmolodsport)
Ukrainian athletes Darina Ivanova and Alina Martyniuk won bronze medals at the 2025 World Games in WAKO kickboxing, claiming victory in their third-place matches in their respective weight categories.
Ivanova wins bronze for the second time
In the semifinal, Darina Ivanova lost to Yulia Sakov from Israel, and in the match for third place, her opponent was Turkish fighter Azizoğlu.
From the start of the fight, the Ukrainian athlete took the initiative. She landed more precise strikes and won the first round 3:0.
In the second round, Ivanova strengthened her advantage, continuing to dominate her opponent. The third round could have ended in an early victory, but even without that, the Ukrainian secured a clear win.
Thus, Darina became a bronze medalist at the World Games for the second time in her career in the up to 52 kg weight category.
Martyniuk earns another bronze
Alina Martyniuk also competed for third place in WAKO kickboxing, in the up to 60 kg category. Her opponent was Susanti Ndapataka from Indonesia.
The beginning of the match was in favor of the Ukrainian: Martyniuk landed more precise strikes, and the judges awarded her the advantage. Her opponent tried to advance and end the fight early, but the Ukrainian maintained her lead and saw the match through to victory.
Thus, another bronze medal for Ukraine in WAKO kickboxing became a reality.
Earlier, we reported how the blue-and-yellow team won three gold medals in combat sambo at the 2025 Games.
Previously, we revealed what the gold medalist in karate had to give up to achieve such a result.
