Wrestlers earn international glory
Brakpan Wrestling Club’s head coach, Rassie Erasmus, stood proud when two of his wrestlers, Matthew Bartlett and his son, Martin Erasmus, competed at the Continental Championships, in Egypt, from Wednesday, May 27, to Sunday, May 31.
Bartlett wrestled first on Thursday, May 28, and was on fire throughout the tournament, only to endure a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of his Egyptian opponent in the final match.
He returned home with a silver medal and earned qualification for the World Championships, in Bosnia, in August.
This is the second time he has gone to Egypt and is also the second time he has qualified for the Cadet team who are going to the championships.
He could, sadly, not go last year, due to an injury sustained during the 2014 Continental Championships.
Former Brakpan Wrestling Club member and Brakpan resident Michael Gaitskill placed third in the Juniors category on Saturday, May 30, but all the focus at the championships would, however, soon turn to Martin, who was competing in both the junior and the senior brackets.
This was his first international competition and his prodigious talent was highlighted when he was granted the privilege of wrestling in the senior bracket, despite still being a junior.
He did not disappoint.
On May 30, he won his first international gold medal and qualified for the junior team who will be heading to the Junior World Championships, to be held in Brazil, in August.
The next day, the Brakpan member stunned the wrestling world by giving the senior challengers a run for their money and advancing all the way to the finals.
Once again, however, an Egyptian wrestler would prove to be too much for the South Africans and Martin finished as runner-up.
He did, however, secure selection for the senior team who will head to the All-Africa Games, in the Republic of the Congo.
“We fully believe and trust that, under the guidance of Coach Rassie, these two wrestlers will continue to show the wrestling world what they can do,” said club secretary Gussie Bartlett.
Both wrestlers thanked everyone who helped to send them to Egpyt, but they reserved special gratitude for the man who really got them there – their coach.
- If you would like to become a member of Brakpan Wrestling Club email to brakpanstoeiklub@gmail.com, or find them on Facebook.
Practise takes place on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from 6pm until 8pm, at the Brakpan Indoor Sports Centre, while additional practises take place on Monday evenings, in the run up to the South African Championships.
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