Karate Mühlbach defies all odds

In this challenging karate season, in-person competitions were not expected for a long time. From the moment the first national tournament was held in person in Pontassieve (FI) for the so-called “athletes of national interest” in May, things started to look up and the athletes were finally able to show what they had been training for weeks; Just a month later, the Italian Championships took place in Caorle and the Golden Cup on July 10th and 11th in Orvieto marked the end of the FIK (Federazione Italiana Karate) national tournaments. The first tournament in a year The start of the national competitions was the Grand Prix Nazionale in Pontassieve on May 15th and 16th, where the four athletes from Karate Mühlbach far exceeded all expectations: In the Kumite (dueling) discipline, Michael Pezzei took first place in the brown and Black belts took part in the “Senior” +80kg category and brought gold to Mühlbach due to his excellent performance in the preliminary competitions. An unfortunate situation arose in the final fight and his opponent was not allowed to finish the fight for medical reasons, but the joy of winning gold was still overwhelming. Martin Pezzei also won gold in the Kumite in the “Master” category, while Florian Filehner achieved second place in the “Juniores” -68kg category and Fabian Pezzei won bronze in the “Juniores” -2kg category.

In the Kata discipline (form competition), Martin Pezzei achieved second place, while Fabian Pezzei took fifth place. After a good year of competition break due to Corona, this first in-person tournament was a reference point to see where everyone stands and to find out whether the intensive training in preparation would bring the hoped-for fruit. The fact that this first tournament would be so successful even surprised coach Martin Pezzei, who attributes this fact to ideal preparation. Italian Championship The Italian Championship took place in Caorle on June 19th and 20th. As is so often the case in sport, the pendulum sometimes swings in one direction and sometimes in the other: Michael Pezzei suffered a fractured thumb in the semifinals. Nevertheless, he was overjoyed with the bronze medal he had won, but above all with his performance, and despite the injury, he was able to say goodbye to the tatami with a good feeling, as due to his upcoming studies, this will probably be his last outing for Karate Mühlbach for the time being.

Italian champion for the 9th time: Martin Pezzei.

Also on the podium in the Kumite discipline was Florian Fiwickeler, who won bronze and once again demonstrated his improving form. Fabian Pezzei came 5th in his category - a podium place was probably within reach, but it wasn't to be this time. Martin Pezzei brought the title of “Italian Champion” to the market town. In the Kata discipline, Fabian Pezzei came in 6th place, while Martin Pezzei won silver for Karate Mühlbach. At the Italian Championships, the athletes from Karate Mühlbach were not only able to collect valuable points, but above all to prove that they can compete at a national level. Golden Cup final The third national competition took place in Orvieto on July 10th and 11th. The expectations were high for the three athletes from Karate Mühlbach, as the end of the season was supposed to be a national exclamation mark for the coming season - and that's exactly what happened: Fabian Pezzei achieved fifth place in the kata, while Martin Pezzei took bronze to Mühlbach. In Kumite, all three athletes achieved a podium place in their respective categories: Martin Pezzei came in 1st place, Florian Filehner in 2nd place and Fabian Pezzei in 3rd place. The performance of Florian Filehner from Vals in particular deserves special mention because he The best competition of his career so far showed a top performance from the 16-year-old - technically but above all tactically. The Look ahead With a lot of hope and just as much expectations, Karate Mühlbach is looking forward. On the one hand, the expectations are high: thanks to his performances in these three competitions, Martin Pezzei qualified for the European Championships in Romania, while the two 16-year-olds have gained the experience at national level that they need to attack in the coming season and to make the hoped-for step onto the international stage. Hopes are also high: the entire team hopes that in-person training will be possible again from September in order to make up for what was missed last season due to online training and to expand on what is needed to make the next step in quality as a team.

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Karate Mühlbach defies all odds

It is one of the busiest martial arts clubs in South Tyrol: Karate Mühlbach. We take a look back at a turbulent and difficult year for hobby athletes from the Isarco Valley, who despite all this were able to achieve impressive results.

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