The Casentino Karate Academy left its mark at the EuroCup in Austria. Four athletes from the Rassina club were called up by the Tuscan regional team to fight at the international event in Zell Am See where, competing against peers from fourteen European nations, they managed to win a gold and a bronze. This double podium confirmed the international competitiveness of the Casentino girls and, above all, contributed to the excellent fifth place finish of Tuscany in a ranking with a total of sixty-three teams.
The best result was achieved by Lara Piantini in 2011 who celebrated gold in the -52kg of the Under14 category after having won the first two matches 7-0, overcoming the Austrian Noemi Sopic in the semi-final and finally triumphing in the final over German Alexia Förster. The trip to the EuroCup had represented a good test in view of the Italian Rookie Championships but an injury prevented Piantini from also fighting for the national title, with the Casentino Karate Academy taking part in the Italian event with Pietro Falsetti and Filippo Organelles that were able to experience a beautiful opportunity for comparison and growth. The second medal won in Austria is by Laura Abenante in 2007 who, in the -48kg of the Under18s, took a bronze around her neck which further enriches a 2024 of particular satisfactions where the bronze medal won at the Italian Junior Championships stands out . The Casentino Karate Academy team at the EuroCup also saw the presence of Ludovica Coli and Anna Simoni who, despite having stopped in the first round, demonstrated the character and technique to compete internationally.
The company led by the masters Luca Boldrini and Filippo Oretti will now continue the preparation process which, before the summer break, will see two further stages valid for the assignment of points for the national and world rankings: from Friday 21 June the Open League Karate in Rome, while the following week a trip to Croatian Poreč is scheduled for the Youth League world cup. «The EuroCup closed with a particularly positive outcome – comments Oretti. – Piantini didn’t miss a beat and showed a great maturity with which she managed to put a prestigious international gold around her neck, while Abenante was called to follow up on an excellent start to the season in which she rightfully returned among the young promises of karate tricolor. For each of our athletes it was a positive experience in a very high level competition and in a stimulating context within the Tuscany team».
