He holds a 5th Dan black belt in karate. He is a Master of Sports in karate, a multiple prize winner and champion of Ukrainian and international tournaments, a seven-time European champion, and a two-time world champion. Dmytro is also the president of the Mykolaiv City Karate Federation and the regional representative of the Karate Federation, as well as a karate coach and instructor. This is far from a complete list of the achievements and hobbies of our colleague, Dmytro Kamorkin, a senior security guard at Mykolaiv office.
Dmytro’s story could have been written by our Lithuanian PR colleagues if he hadn’t moved from Klaipeda to Mykolaiv in his childhood. There are many “what-ifs” in his life. It seems that almost every achievement happened not because of, but despite fate and circumstances.
“Due to a congenital heart defect, doctors forbade me to do any kind of sport when I was a child. However, I was a very active child with many interests. My desire to play football, for example, was stronger than any prohibitions. At first, it was difficult to play even ten minutes, but I gradually increased the load. I played football, then tried my hand at boxing, judo, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Overall, I liked it, but I felt it was not quite my sport.
At the age of fourteen, when I entered vocational school, I got acquainted with karate. At that time, it was still a banned sport. We practiced, one could say, secretly, and we did not go to competitions. In the early 90s, the ban was lifted, and I joined the local Mykolaiv club,” says Dmytro.
Then there were training, local competitions, studies at the Sevastopol Academy of Oriental Martial Arts, and service in the army, where Dmytro sustained a spinal injury so severe that he was paralyzed. It seemed that this was definitely the end not only of his sports career but of a full life. But we remember the “what-ifs” rule.
“During the hospital stay, I came across a book by Valentyn Dykul. In the Soviet Union, he was quite a famous figure; he also had a spinal injury and developed a set of exercises that helped him recover 100%. I had plenty of time, so I started doing the exercises; they wouldn’t have been useless in any case,” recalls our colleague.
Whether it was the magic of the exercises or an innate desire to reveal his potential and abilities, Dmytro managed not only to get back on his feet but also to return to the tatami. He participated in competitions in various types of karate, namely non-contact, light contact, full contact, with weapons, etc. He competed in major Ukrainian tournaments and represented the country at European and world championships:
“I was filled with excitement and desire to test my strength that I could compete in four, sometimes nine categories in one competition. I could bring back eight medals from one cup. I was very tired. But the emotional charge I received outweighed everything! Eventually, I focused on one type of karate, which is now recognized as an Olympic sport. The last time I competed was at the World Championship in 2017. I was forty-three years old, and I decided it was time to end my sports career.”
The end of his sports career doesn’t mean that Dmytro has given up. On the contrary, he studied and mastered a new profession – personal bodyguard, participated in the relevant championships; he is certified to train bodyguards. Now he heads the Karate Federation of Mykolaiv and Mykolaiv region, as well as trains young people.
When asked, “What has sport, and karate in particular, given you personally?” Dmytro answers:
“In my childhood, I was sickly, chubby, often teased, and ridiculed. By doing sport, I not only became physically stronger but also morally stronger. That’s the most important. I could stand up to the bullies, but I didn’t need to. Sport gives you self-confidence, backbone, and instills discipline. And respect for other people. I believe that before you cause pain to another person, you have to feel it yourself. Anyone who has felt it once will not want to inflict it on others.
It also pushes you to move forward, constantly develop, and win victory over yourself. There is Mr. Tanaka, who is known and respected by karate practitioners. He said, ‘A master is not the one who became a champion, but the one who confirmed this title.’ Throughout my life, I set myself the following goals: to achieve better results each time. I think this helped me in sports achievements and life.”
P.S. There is one more story, not related to sport, that we simply cannot ignore. For several years, Dmytro has been involved in volunteering. Once a week, despite constant shelling and dangerous territory, he goes to Kherson region, helps civilians with humanitarian aid and medicines. He is also constantly in touch with local volunteers and military personnel, for whom he collects medicines and everything necessary at their requests. If you wish to join Dmytro’s initiative, please contact our colleague.
You can read more stories about our amazing people of NIBULON in the “Career” section, in particular about Volodymyr Shymanskyi, a musician, Oleksandr Rovniahin, a leather wallets craftsman, Veronika Bazyniak, a craftswoman of handmade products, and Vita Marchenko, a pastry chef.