Boxer from Poltava region Oleksandr Khyzhnyak brought home gold from an international tournament in the Czech Republic

Boxer from Poltava Region, Alexander Khizhnyak, returned victorious from the 53rd International Tournament "Grand Prix 2023" held in the Czech Republic. The Ukrainian athlete emerged as the best in the 80-kilogram weight category. This was reported by Dmytro Lunin, the head of the Poltava Regional State Administration.

"Congratulations to Alexander on his victory. Poltava Region has strong boxing traditions, and this sport is successfully developing in the region. We are proud that our blue and yellow flag is often raised as a symbol of victory on the international arena. I wish Alexander success in the European market," wrote Lunin.

Representatives from 18 countries competed for victory at the tournament in the Czech Republic. Alexander Khizhnyak defeated his opponents from Germany and Norway. He was supposed to box against a Welsh athlete in the final, but the Welsh boxer withdrew from the match. Therefore, the Ukrainian fighter secured victory ahead of schedule.

It is reported that these competitions were Khizhnyak's final preparations before the European Games, which will take place in Krakow, Poland, from June 21 to July 2.

Earlier, we reported that an officer of the National Guard won "gold" at the Invictus Games 2023 held in Lviv. Colonel Oleksandr Piskun from Kryvyi Rih competed on the second day of the National Selection in two disciplines – table tennis and archery in the "advanced" category. As a result of the competition, Colonel Piskun won "gold" in table tennis and "bronze" in archery. A total of 223 participants from all regions of Ukraine, both military personnel and veterans who were injured while performing combat tasks in defense of their homeland, took part in the National Selection. Athletes competed in nine disciplines: archery, athletics, cycling, powerlifting, indoor rowing, sitting volleyball, swimming, table tennis, and wheelchair basketball.