Thrilling start to the 1st CISM World Military Martial Arts Championship in Warendorf

WARENDORF (GER) – The first day of the inaugural CISM World Military Martial Arts Championship began in spectacular fashion on June 24, 2025, in Warendorf, Germany. This historic event, which runs from June 22 to 29, unites three major disciplines under one banner: the 28th World Military Taekwondo Championship, the 38th World Military Wrestling Championship, and the 43rd World Military Judo Championship. Military athletes from around the world gathered to celebrate CISM’s values of excellence, discipline, and friendship through sport.

In Taekwondo, the Men’s -54kg category delivered an impressive performance from Korea’s Tae Chang Eom, who clinched the gold medal. Riad Hamdi of Saudi Arabia secured the silver, while Mir Mohamed Amine from Tunisia and Medjahed Saif Eddine from Algeria both stood on the bronze step of the podium. In the Men’s -58kg division, Korea once again took the top spot with Kim Se Yun earning gold. Shabib Al-Wahaibi from Oman won silver, and the bronze medals went to Abdulelah Asiri of Saudi Arabia and Khaled Abdel-Halim representing Germany.

In the Wrestling freestyle 57kg class, Germany’s Niklas Stechele thrilled the home crowd by claiming gold. India’s Shubham secured silver, and Korea’s Han Sang Boum earned bronze, marking a strong and diverse start to the wrestling tournament.

Judo also opened its championship with five categories already decided. In the Men’s -60kg division, Ruslan Poltoratskii of Bahrain emerged victorious, finishing ahead of France’s Richard Vergnes. Hwangyun Jo from Korea and Sherzot Davlatov from Kazakhstan took bronze. The Men’s -66kg event saw Hungary’s Bence Pongracz win gold, followed by Mykyta Holoborodko of Ukraine with silver, while Algeria’s Kais Moudetere and Kazakhstan’s Nurkanat Serikbayev each claimed bronze.

In the Women’s events, Italy dominated the -48kg category with Asia Avanzato and Giulia Ghiglione finishing first and second respectively. Laura Espadinha from France and Houaria Kaddour from Algeria completed the podium with bronze medals. In the -52kg category, Germany’s Mascha Ballhaus won gold on home soil, while Aleksandra Kaleta of Poland secured silver. The bronze medals were awarded to Italy’s Kenya Perna and France’s Julie Weill Dit Morey. France also claimed victory in the Women’s -57kg division thanks to Ophelie Vellozzi. Arleta Podolak of Poland finished second, while Germany’s Pauline Starke and Brazil’s Jessica Lima both took bronze.

With high-level performances, strong sportsmanship, and excellent organization, the first day of competition set the tone for what promises to be an unforgettable championship week in Warendorf.

(Source: CISM Media & Communication Department - Pictures: Bundeswehr)