Mowers from Vitebsk region took 'gold' at the World Haymaking Championship

Our country was represented at the competition by mowers from the village of Zhilinskie in Postavy district, as well as teams from the Sporovo Biological Reserve and the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve. The Zhilinskie team took first place among farmers, the Sporovo mowers – among national park employees, and the Berezinsky athletes took "bronze" in the same category.

Poles were serious rivals for the Belarusians. According to the head of the Zhilinskie team, Petr Korol, the marshes of Biebrza National Park are difficult for mowing. Sedges, bushes, and especially high humidity complicate the competition conditions. The judges paid attention to every detail, but our compatriots had nothing to fault.

Valery Kalitsky – an avid tourist at heart, and by position – deputy director of a construction firm – has been mowing since childhood. He is always among the first at the annual "Zhilinskie Haymaking" competitions, and has repeatedly won "gold" at republican and international championships. Iosif Golyak works in the housing and communal services system; he joined the Zhilinskie haymaking team in 2016. He decided to try himself at local Postavy competitions and won.

– Our champion Iosif Golyak met his brother, who lives in Poland, for the first time in 26 years in Biebrza. This gave him strength; he didn't just cover his 60 meters – he ran it in 1 minute 23 seconds, – Petr Korol reported with pride.

Tamara PASHKEVICH, photos by the author. "Vitebskie vesti".