North Macedonia wins 11 medals at Balkan Championship in Istanbul
The team collected four golds, two silvers and five bronzes at the Balkan Championship in Istanbul (November 6–8, 2026).
North Macedonia's karate team returned from the Balkan Championship for cadets, juniors and U21 in Istanbul (November 6–8, 2026) with a haul of 11 medals: four gold, two silver and five bronze.
On the final competition day the men’s junior kumite team secured a gold medal, while the men’s U21 team claimed bronze in the team events.
Individual gold medals were won by Redzep Rushiti in the U21 up to 84 kilograms category and cadet Gordan Bozhovic in the over 70 kilograms division. The silver went to junior Darin Kurtanovic, and bronze medals were earned by Kenza Fetai and Filip Stojanov in the U21 field.
Other notable results
Dardan Alija reached the final in the cadet up to 63 kilograms category, and Nuredin Dervishi climbed to fifth place after advancing through the repechage rounds.
With 11 medals overall, North Macedonia finished fourth in the general classification among 13 participating countries, a result hailed as strong recognition of the athletes, their coaches and the technical staff.
The Balkan Championship in Istanbul served as one of this season’s major regional tests for young competitors and reinforced the depth of North Macedonia’s karate youth program.
Photo: Karate Federacija na Makedonija (FB)
