Stanislav Mitkov won a bronze medal in the 68 kg category at the international taekwondo tournament “Polish Open 2026“. For the Bulgarian national team, this was the first competition in the new category.
On the way to the award, Mitkov recorded two victories. He prevailed over Maxim Bandarevich from Belarus and the representative of the hosts Mateusz Chshanowski. Both of his rivals are European vice-champions.
Semi-final against Olympic medalist
In the semifinal match, the Bulgarian faced Halil Dzhendoubi. The Tunisian is the Olympic vice-champion from Tokyo 2020, bronze medalist from Paris 2024, world champion and champion of the African Games.
Mitkov gave way in the contested match and ended his participation with a bronze medal. The result brought him points for the Olympic ranking and marked the beginning of his performance in the category up to 68 kilograms.
While the tournament in Poland was taking place, two international tournaments were held in Dupnitsa. Details about Mitkov's next competition have not been specified.
Sources: Topsport