The 29th SKDUN World Shotokan Karate Championships took place over two weeks ago, however I did not have time to write my conclusions on the championships until now. Its time to stop making excuses and write.
I was informed about the championships months before the start date which meant I had a lot of time to plan and think about my start. Thanks to Tomasz Byjos (SKDUN Country director for Poland) I was able to join the team to complete of 45 athletes. In the World Karate Championships of the federation SKDUN Shotokan Karate-do of United Nations I had previously started in Romania, Germany, Serbia and the Czech Republic. I always remember these championships fondly due to the high sporting and organisational level as well as the beautiful places the championships are organised. The 29th SKDUN World Shotokan Karate Championships were held in Karlovy Vary at Sports hall “KV arena Karlovy Vary“. Over 1500 athletes competed from countries such as Japan, India, USA, Moldovia, Romania, Ukraine and many others. I would like to thank Daniel Pekuniak – President of Czech association of Okinawan karate and kobudo Czech Republic for the organisation of these championships as well as Aurel Patru – President of Shotokan Karate-do of United Nations, Colin Putt – Technical Director and Chief Referee of Shotokan Karate-do of United Nations for the high organisational level of the championships. 
My preparations for these championships were not level, they were up and down. I struggled to find my rhythm, which influenced my overall performance. This was due to the lack of time for regeneration and rest, too much of a short period of time between competitions. Only two weeks had passed since the last competition, therefore there was a slight overtraining of the body. Despite many years of experience, I still learn all the time and will continue learning at each competition. I will conclude something new, this is a never-ending story with this sport, continuous learning. It is important not to make the same mistakes in the future, therefore analyses and conclusions are very important. Winning two medals, the bronze individually and the silver for the team, can be considered a sporting success, after all, this event was the World Championships.
I love everything about competitions: traveling, meeting my fellow coaches, competitors and visiting new places. At the airport in Prague I met my friend Krzysztof Chalupka (IKA Poland) with whom I had the opportunity to compete in World Championships more than once. We arrived at the hotel, checked into our rooms and spent the day resting. The second day of stay was an early morning snack, a light breakfast and departure to the competition in Karlovy Vary. After an hour and a half journey, we got arrived. We intantly dealt with the formalities, checking documents, weight and we greeted the team. Due to the fact that we had been given the start time, we could plan our warm-up. The first category in which I participated in was Kumite Individual Ippon Shobu Veterans, in which I won third, winning with two competitors in the qualifying rounds. In my fight to get into the final I lost with a competitor from Hungary. The second category I participated in was Kumite Team Veterans in which we won a silver medal. We beat the Team from Romania and in the fight for the first place we lost to the Team from the Czech Republic. I want to thank my team (KRZYSZTOF CHALUPKA, MARCIN JASINSKI, ROMAN SZYMCZAK) without your support it would be impossible to win the silver medal.
After the team competition and the medal ceremony were over, we stayed to converse with other coaches and competitors. To summarise the sporting aspect, the competition included high level athletes. I am happy with my start, because I gave it my all, I drew conclusions and most importantly I enjoyed this start. After the competition, we quickly returned to Prague, where I had two days to visit the city and taste the delicious Czech cuisine.
It is safe to say that Czech Prague is probably one of 5 cities in Europe where 2 days to visit is simply not enough. Take into account the crowds of people and the learge city to explore. Prague is divided into two parts, with the Vltava River in between. On the eastern side, there is the Old Town with the market square. The part of the city to the west of the river is called Hradcany. Both parts of the city have a lot to offer and both are must-see. When going there for just two days, you have to understand the fact that there will only be enough time for a tiny taste of its atmosphere. It is impossible to see all the great places and visit most of the museums.
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