The Balkan Karate Championship for cadets, juniors, and U21 competitors kicks off tomorrow in Sarajevo and will run until Sunday. Representing Banja Luka’s Bushido Karate Club is Nemanja Čubrlo.
This 17-year-old will compete in the junior category in the under 55kg division. Čubrlo already made his mark back in 2019, winning a bronze medal at the Balkan Championship held in Banja Luka. A multiple medalist at both domestic and international tournaments, he is once again setting his sights on a podium finish, hoping for an even better result than five years ago.
“I am taking this competition very seriously. I’ve achieved good results so far, so I have nothing to hide—I’m expecting, with a bit of luck, to bring home another medal. Deep down, I’m hoping it shines even brighter than the one from 2019,” said Čubrlo.
Čubrlo has been in karate for ten years now, consistently achieving success, and has represented Bosnia and Herzegovina three times. He is the pride of Bushido Karate Club and their only representative at the Balkan Championship. He feels well-prepared for the competition ahead.
“I like to say that I’ve been preparing my whole life for moments like this. My results speak for themselves. I believe I’ve maintained a good track record and intend to keep it that way. Since the summer, I’ve been training intensively with my coach, Draško Milovanović, specifically for this event. I had to go through qualifications, national championships, and selection tournaments—all of which I completed successfully. I had to qualify for the Balkan Championship, and at the control tournaments, I proved I could achieve serious results based on my quality,” added Čubrlo.
Nemanja feels he knows the competition well.
“I’ve met many potential rivals at previous tournaments, though not all of them, as the Balkan Championship will feature competitors from 12 countries. Turkey, for example, is coming with a strong team, so the competition will be tough. But I am not intimidated; I believe in myself and my abilities,” concluded Čubrlo.
Milovanović: The goal is a high-level senior competitor
The head of Bushido Karate Club and Čubrlo’s coach, Draško Milovanović, has ambitious plans for Nemanja.
“Honestly, we would be happy with a medal, as Nemanja has the potential to achieve that. Of course, a bit of luck will be necessary as well. We’re also thinking about the next steps. We plan to enter him in the World League for younger age categories to gain more experience. Our ultimate goal is to develop Nemanja into a quality senior competitor capable of achieving significant results in that category,” said Milovanović.
Source: Glas Srpske
