Karate – dream and reality

Andrej Risteski a young 16 year old boy and a student in the medical high school "Gjorce Petrov" in Prilep. This young man sees himself in the future as a part of the medical world beeing a pharmaceutical laboratory technician. As a young man Andrej wants to hang out with his friends.

His hobbies are cycling, listening to music and surfing the Internet. In his free time he is part of many youth organizations and a member of the school sections. His main hobby, which he is practicing for many years is sports, specifically the sports discipline karate - he is the youngest Macedonian karate master. He has started out in the Karate Club „Sport 94“ in Prilep.

1. How and why did Karate become your hobby Andrej?

Andrej: Karate has been my hobby since I was 8, I’ve been training since forever. The first time I was introduced to karate was when my father took me to a training session in Karate Club Sports 94 in my town. My cousin Todor Risteski, who is a top karate performer in Macedonia and abroad, was training there. After my first training with my trainer Petar Belistojanoski I really started to like karate as a sport because it's very different from all other sports. It is a sport that has discipline, challenge and enjoyment. I have a black belt, which one receives by practicing katas (forms of movement). There are many different types of belts from which the black one is the highest level. It is followed by degrees of black belt which are called dan, for example first dan, second dan and so on.... I now have a black belt- first dan. Through my club “Sport 94 “ in which I train, I have become part of the Karate Federation of Macedonia -KFM and have obtained a competitive card with which I can compete in competitions supported by KFM.

2. You are a member of the Karate Federation of Macedonia. Can you tell us more about what it’s like to be a member of KFM and share some of your experience with KFM.

Andrej: Yes, I am a member of the KFM, I have won many gold medals at national and international championships but I also have performed under the “red and yellow” colors. I have represented Macedonia on the three Balkan and one European championship. When I was younger, I used to get injured a lot and because of that I’ve lost a few championships. The first championship where I represented Macedonia was the Balkan Championship 2012 which was held in Herceg Novi, Montenegro. I was in the category children -70 kg and I became a champion in that category. The following year in 2013 I competed in the Balkan championship in Kragujevac, Serbia. There I was the third in the team competition Juniors and Cadets. Then the Balkan Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria took place in 2014. That was my first performance abroad in the Junior category + 76kg and I had good success. I shared the 3rd place with the contestants from Croatia. That medal is very dear to me because it "opened " the way for the European Championships in Zurich in Switzerland for cadets, juniors and juniors up to 21 years for me. Besides winning 3rd place individually, the men's junior team from Macedonia, which I was a part of, succeeded in taking second place. This was a great success. The last championship in which I took part was the European Championship in Zurich, Switzerland, where I won the 7th place.

3. How does it feel for a young man to be 7th on the European Championship and what are your plans in the ring?

Andrej: On the tournament in Zurich I achieved the best ranking in my career. This feeling is indescribable and it has me proved that efforts are valued, that with hard work success is guaranteed. My next plan is to invest in my improvement even more than before, because I'm currently 7th, but the appetite for success keeps growing. My next stop is the European Championship on which I plan to get a medal.

By my previous successes I am encouraged to train hard. I also have to mention that without the support of my parents I would not be in this situation. Having in mind that you have someone behind you to support and encourage each subsequent step, awakens a sense of security in what you do in order to succeed.

My life motto that inspires me is a single sentence from the famous boxer Muhammad Ali: “I hated every minute of training, but I said, - Do not give up. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” To the youth in Macedonia I would recommend sports, any sport, it is important to love what you do and make it a routine. Let's learn from the sentence: “In healthy body, healthy mind”. Sport is a good thing that takes us away from everyday life. Just leave your phones, computers and Facebook and Do Sports!!

Ivana Angjelovska

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