International tournaments are nothing new for this Belarussian fighter. He spends most of his free time in training. Fortunately, his commander in the army is very understanding and allows him time to travel abroad. Dmitry traditionally represents the Belarussian Republic and its armed forces at tournaments. This year he also stood against the strongest of the world.

The organization of this year’s WCs was so-so, especially considering the medals fiasco – says Shmyko.

The Belarussian national team took 14^th place. Is it an acceptable score? It is, considering that most people couldn’t come because of visa problems.

I would rate the performance of our team as above average – says Dmitry.

– Many fighters claim they couldn’t get to Lithuania. It’s a shame, because it’s not every year that an event of this magnitude takes place so close to Belarus. Not taking a chance like this is unforgivable.

Dmitry fought in the up to 110 kg category, he placed 17^th on the right arm chart. He is right-handed, but he usually wins in left arm. This year, he was fourth in left.

As for the fighters in our team, they all fought well, considering their skills – says Dmitry. - In the WCs all categories are very strong. I myself am satisfied with my score, even though I didn’t get to the podium. And I only lost to Ivan Matyushenko and Artem Grishinov, who took the 1^st and 2^nd places in my category. But no excuses, I’ll keep working to get better.

Artur Grigorian