Kasicka, Kalimbetov stamp dominance in Prague – Paralympic.org

In the lead-up to the World Championships, top para dancers showcased their skills at the Prague 2023 Para Dance Sport International Competition, which concluded on October 8, 2023. Among the standout performers were Slovakia’s three-time world champion Helena Kasicka and Kazakhstan’s Yermek Kalymbetov, both of whom clinched three gold medals each.

Kasicka dominated in the women’s category, winning in single freestyle woman class 1, single conventional woman class 1, combi Latin class 1+2, and combi freestyle class 1, partnering with Martin Šolc for the combi events. On the men’s side, Kalymbetov impressed with his gold-winning performances in single freestyle men class S2, single conventional men class 2, and combi freestyle class 2, alongside Kulshum Atalykova. Slovenia’s Amir Alibabic also shone, securing gold in single freestyle men class 1 and single conventional men class 1.

The duo events saw notable performances as well, with Alibabic and Nastija Fijolic taking silver in duo Latin class 1, while Turkey’s Abdul Kadir Unal & Nezihe Kocak Unal emerged victorious in both duo Latin class 1 and duo freestyle class 1 events. In the women’s single conventional class 2, Slovenia’s Lara Nedeljkovic triumphed over Belgium’s Sofie Cox, who later won the single freestyle women class 2 finals.

Kazakhstan’s Talgat Amanbekov & Nargiza Akhmetova delivered gold medal performances in duo standard class 1&2 and duo freestyle class 2. Host country representatives Jan Kohout & Karolína Anna Dvorackova clinched the top spot in combi standard class 2.

The event, held for the third consecutive year in Prague, saw participation from 54 athletes (35 women, 19 men) from 15 countries. It also included power wheelchair events, with Slovenia’s Alibabic impressing in single conventional power wheelchair and single freestyle powerchair events.

The Prague 2023 International Competition served as the penultimate event before the Genoa 2023 Para Dance Sport World Championships, scheduled to begin on November 24.

For complete results of the Prague 2023 International Competition, you can visit the official page.