Panevėžys Open grappling championship which was held in the capital of Aukštaitija for the first time in history, gathered almost 200 athletes from Lithuania, Latvia and Russia. All competitors were divided into two groups: with and without kimono.
Raimondas Zeniauskas from Klaipėda became the winner of the Absolute category of men without kimono, in the finals unexpectedly defeating one of the strongest Lithuanian grappling wrestlers Laimonas Stančikas from Vilnius.
Kasparas Strazdas, an eighteen year-old member of Vilnius “Smauglys” club, triumphed in the grappling championship of the Baltic States. In the finals of the Absolute NoGi group (without the kimono), he defeated Mindaugas Veržbickas, a representative of Ukmergė Judo Club. In addition, on his way to the finals, he managed to beat the biggest star of the tournament Teodoras Aukstuolis, who has won a number of MMA tournaments in Japan. Theodoras Aukstuolis himself though, doesn’t consider this defeat as very significant.
"Of course, I tried to win, but I am not very upset, because my main goal was to test my strength," – said T. Aukstuolis after the contest.
The biggest martial arts tournament KOK World Series to be held on the 16th of November at Siemens arena in Vilnius will include not only traditional COP and MMA fights, but also, for the first time in history, a combat for the Champion’s belt of the Absolute Professional Grappling of the Baltic States.
