Ukraine dominate at dance Mainhatten Cup

Ukrainian dancers put on a great show at the IPC Wheelchair Dance Sport Mainhatten Cup in Frankfurt, Germany, on 28-29 May, winning seven golds, two silvers and one bronze medal.

Olena Chynka and Oleksandr Onischenko and led the way for Ukraine, twice dancing to the top of the podium.

In the duo Latin class 2, the pair impressed the judges especially with their Cha Cha and Rumba. Poland’s Joanna Reda and Pawel Karpinski and their teammates Agata Wojciechowska and Daniel Jezmanowski took silver and bronze respectively.

Chynka and Onischenko were also the victors in the duo standard class 2. Reda and Karpinski once again claimed silver ahead of Austria’s Brigitte Kroell and Werner Kaiser.

Chynka also found her groove in the women’s single class 2, leading all five dances. Austria’s Sanja Vukasinovic and Kazakhstan’s Nargiza Akhmetova completed the podium with silver and bronze respectively.

However Vukasinovic left with the gold in the women’s freestyle class 2. Belgium’s Sofie Cox was second whilst Chynka secured her third medal of the weekend with bronze.

Natalia Chekhonatska took gold in the women’s freestyle single standard class 1 to add to Ukraine’s success.

The judges were delighted with Illona Slugovyna’s Tango, Samba and Jive to carry her to the No. 1 spot in the women’s single class 1. Her teammate Snizhana Kernychnaya and Israel’s Vital Zinger were second and third respectively.

Slugovyna also won gold in the duo standard class 1 with partner Valerii Bevziuk. Vladimir Kernichny helped Kernychnaya to reach the podium once again with silver.

Rounding off the gold medal haul for Ukraine in the couples dances were Onischenko and Ivan Zamiga in the combi Latin class 2. Poland’s Katarzyna Bloch and Marek Zaborowski took silver ahead of compatriots Anna Rybarczyk and Jezmanowski.

Slovakia are looking forward to hosting the 2016 IPC Wheelchair Dance Sport European Championships and their dancers did not disappoint, collecting three wins.

Maria Dutkova and Martin Solc claimed double gold in the combi standard and combi freestyle class 2. Chinese Taipei’s Yang Chun-Lan and Wu Huan-Jan were second in the freestyle, followed onto the podium by Bloch and Zaborowski for their second medal with bronze.

Dutkova and Solc also led the standard. Kulshum Atalykova and Dastan Raushanbekov secured silver for Kazakhstan and Chinese Taipei’s Wu Huan-Jan and Yang Chun-Lan were third.

Helena Kasicka and Peter Vidasic put on a good show in the combi standard class 1, finishing ahead of Kazakhstan’s Aidana Beglenova and Ardak Otorbayev in silver. Slovakia claimed another medal thanks to Maria Gazdikova and Maros Olejar with bronze.

Concluding the couple’s events, Israel’s Zinger and Sean Ziv led the field in the combi Latin class 1. Slovakia’s Gazdikova and Oejar and Germany’s Thomas Laschke and Alina Meissner were second and third respectively.

Germany’s Erik Machens looks on course to retain his European title in 2016 after winning the men’s single class 2. He placed first in all but one of his dances to lead Poland’s Karpinski into second. Chinese Taipei’s Kuo Wen-Sheng rounded out the top three.

The 2016 IPC Wheelchair Dance Sport European Championships will take place in Kosice, Slovakia, between 28-30 October.

The Asian Championships will follow in New Taipei City, Chinese Taipei, on 5-6 November.