Sorry guys about my very late update, but the promised high-speed wifi in Almaty was not fast as expected. Anyway Almaty was a great experience. First I would like to tell you a little about the worlds. The competition took place in a big hockey-hall next to the central stadium. After a long journey from Berlin over Kiev to Almaty we arrived snowy Almaty at 5 o´clock in the morning. We just brought our luggage to our very nice hotel and went directly to the weigh in. There we met the whole (small) German Team. After a delay (as usual) I jumped on scale and made easily the 70kg class with 67.4kg.
On Saturday I was on fire cause the 70kg were one of the first classes who hat to compete. In the first round I had a very close fight with KHETAG DZITIEV from Russia. I lost very close in the strap and Dzitiev got later worldchampion. In the second and the third round I won comfortable against JASUR MANAZAROV from tajikistan and YIGAL GORELASHVILI from Israel. In the 4th round I faced the superstrong slovakian JAN VOJENCAK. We were in the referee’s grip and after the ready…go Jan good fast in the positive hook. I got a elbow-foul…RESTART! He came again in the positive hook, but this time could stop him and I turned in the positive hook. I think I was on the right track but slipped with my elbow off the pad and got my second foul :-/ . I became 12th and anyhow I were pleased because the fights I lost I lost close and after the huge problems with my right hand in 2010 and at the beginning of this year everything is okay again. I also met some very nice guys in my class like Josh Handeland from the US, Mariusz Podgorski from Poland, Jan Vojencak from Slovakia and my buddies Hristo from Bulgaria and Lorenzo+ some very nice guys from India, Kasachstan and other countries. Sorry I can´t mention everyone.
About Almaty:
It is a very nice city and if the weather is clear it is very beautiful as well cause you can see the snowy mountain-tops of the Tian-Schan mountain rage! I don´t know many about the public transportation- just 3 facts:
About buses? The bus is cheap and full as hell!!!
About taxi? Nearly every car is a taxi. You just have to raise your hand at the street and a car will stop. You have to tell the place where you want to go and bargain a little about the price. I never drove in so many different cars in one week… I love it!!
About subway? There is a subway!
In Almaty I saw many very nteresting sights like kok tebö a really beautiful place! It is a huge hill next to the center where you can see the lights of the city from the top. Really lovely <3. The Bacholka Bazar a really unique market where you can buy everything if you are brave enough and don´t get lost.
Medeo Ice Stadium a 1 hour drive from our hotel and we were in heaven. The stadium is at the edge of the Tian-Schan in the middle of a winterwonderland.
The people I met in this city are very friendly and I met some lovely people like Ahmed, Gina, Merei and of cause Nursi.
On Sunday we left the city and traveled to Astana the new capital of Kasachstan.
But if there any international tournaments or trainingcamps in Almaty I would love to return to the old capital !!!
Article about Astana will follow soon!!
