For the very first time in history, Kyrgyzstan was represented at the HMB world championship Battle of the Nations. Bogdan Sbitnev returned home with very decent results. Bogdan stood out, using a very distinct round shield with the sun on a red background. He was seen wielding this shield in the Sword and Shield duels, in the 30 vs 30 mass battles and, of course, the 150 vs 150!

Bogdan made it to the play off stage of the sword and shield category, where he met his match in a very quick and agile athlete from the United Kingdom. This marked the end of his duelling tournament, but it was definitely a good start!  Then there were fights in the mass nominations. HMBIA News reporter managed to talk to Bogdan and find out how the tenth anniversary Battle of the Nations in Serbia was for him.

“In 30 vs 30 I fought for the Finns. It was amazing! Firstly – it was the first 30s in my life! Usually we are fighting in 3 vs 3 or, maximum, in fives. I liked the fight with Americans, it was interesting. In the first round I acclimatized, in the second already did the first strikes. At the end of the second round, I was one of the few who was standing on his feet. We worked well with the Finns. I met a Russian-speaking Norwegian, also a lefty. We covered each other. However, French polearms…. “

Bogdan said that his friends sent him a video of the battle with the French team. It can be seen that only after the tenth strike by a polearm the Kyrgyz athlete left the battlefield. According to Sbitnev, it looks very intimidating: “I still can’t believe it, especially when three halberdiers synchronously drop their weapons on you …”

Also, Bogdan was struck by the overwhelming hospitality of the Serbians. He even took the opportunity to apologize once again to the representatives of the Serbian national team for a curious moment. This is what happened:

“I want to apologize again to the guys from Serbia. They are so hospitable and kind. In the same nomination 30 vs 30 we had a fight with Serbian team. I`m, as a part of the Finnish team, met the Serbian fighter on the barrier of the lists. I pinch the Serbian guy and told him: “Sorry brother” (in Serbian), in my opponent’s eyes it was obvious that he was a little confused – Finnish surcoat, Serbian speech. While the guy was thinking, I kicked him with winged mace. Sorry again! In addition, we won that fight”.

In an interview before the start of the Battle of the Nations 2019, Bogdan said that he dreams to stand shoulder to shoulder with teams like, for example, Argentina, Mexico … Get to know people from different countries. Here his dream come true, because in the most massive battle of the Championship as part of the banner “The Varangian Guard”, Kyrgyzstan was with Finland, Sweden, Norway, Turkey, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Luxembourg. Such a neighborhood made it possible for the fighters to exchange experiences and make friends. According to Bogdan, he got know some members of the HMB movement from different countries thanks to Internet correspondence, and finally meet them in person  in Serbia.

The 150 vs 150 battles deserve special attention. They caused a lot of excitement among all participants of the Championship. So it turned out that the last day of the Battle of the Nations, when the battles of the banners took place, coincided with the date of the 6th anniversary of the founding of the Guard HMB club. The native club of Bogdan Sbitnev. Bogdan`s teammates celebrated the birthday of the club in a very fun, but predictable way! With their helmets full of popcorn, they watched the live broadcast from Serbia, looking out for that unique shield with the golden sun in that huge mass of fighters.

Bogdan himself recalls the last evening of the Championship with special warmth. Having received the commemorative medal “150 vs 150 Survivor”, he was in a great mood. He had a great time at the celebration of the Battle of the Nations 2019 closing party with his new friends. With a sense of melancholy he, along with the rest of the tournament participants, watched a video about the Championship and festive fireworks. The final turned out to be exciting and very touching. However, according to Bogdan, there is still a lot of work ahead:

“There are a lot of things to think about after the Championship. I could not believe that it happened to me, that it was already over, that I was there …. Now we need to analyze everything. The most important thing is the experience and vision of the further development of sports and combat training of athletes in my country. We have to train hard! When I became the captain of the club, the main goal was to participate in the Battle of the Nations. We need to have at least one 5 vs 5 team for the next Championship. Nevertheless, I believe that if you are here – you have already won! ”

Bogdan did a lot of work in preparation for the championship. Now that it is behind us, there is other work to be done. We are confident that by the next HMB World Championship Battle of the Nations 2021 Kyrgyzstan will be represented by the national team, and thousands of fans will support fighters watching the live broadcast or right from the stands. We thank Bogdan for an interesting conversation and a wonderful interview.

HMBIA News