Zanshin juniors prove their worth at national karate competition

IT’S PRETTY obvious that our provincial Martial Arts is fighting fit. This, after six Zanshin Shito-Ryu Karate-Do Academy students represented Northern Cape Karate at Karate South Africa’s (KSA) Children's, Cadet’s, and Junior National Championships in Durban last weekend.

After competing at the Junior National Championships, Markus Becker, Mïcke Strydom, and Kgosietsile Maganelo were all included in the National Team training squad for 2023.

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The DFA had a quick chat with the three students about this massive achievement.

Mïcke said that she competed in kumite, a form of sparring where two practitioners engage in simulated combat with predetermined rules and protective gear, where she won her first two rounds but was just beaten in the subsequent rounds to miss out on the bronze. Finishing fifth in a big and tough division.

Kgosietsile won his first round, lost in the second round, but came back with a bang in the repechage rounds to win a bronze in his division. Maganelo said that it was a lot of fun but also very challenging, and that he is proud to have won a bronze medal.

Meanwhile, Markus had a great kumite weekend; he reached the finals and won a silver in his division. He mentioned that it was an amazing experience being at the nationals.

“It was a little tough at times, but I mostly fought against people my own size. I went into this competition wanting to win a medal, and I did just that,” he told the DFA.

Shihan Peter Stegmann said that he was very proud of his students' performances.

“We worked on so many things before the competition, and I could see that they listened and did what they were taught. I also feel that they are a lot better than the performances they put up on the day. They just need to take part in more competitions like these to get the experience that comes with it.

“They will now take part in the KSA League that will take place between April 14 and April 16 in Cape Town, and then the team that is chosen will go to the national training session in Durban between May 4 and May 7," said Stegmann.

Stegmann further expressed his appreciation for two members of the dojo that represented the Province as a judge and a table official.

“Thank you, Sempei Mathews Makinta and Thebogo Makinta, for your sacrifice and hard work,” Stegmann said.

“I also want to acknowledge our provincial team manager, Monique Strydom,” he continued, “for doing such a great job looking after all of us and making sure our athletes were always where they needed to be.

“I also want to thank everyone who is assisting and supporting our athletes and officials to be able to attend these types of events,” he added.