Trip to Macedonia yields seven medals for local martial artists
Young karate representatives of the International Japan Karate-Do Association of South Africa put their best foot (and fist) forward at World Championships.
Local karate kids produced outstanding results in a recent junior championships tournament in North Macedonia.
A team of the International Japan Karate-Do Association of South Africa (IJKSA) were selected to take part on behalf of the association in the IJK World Championships. The team of young fighters, who train in Dainfern, obtained seven medals – including one gold. It was the first world championships the team had attended since lockdown.
Sensei who accompanied the team, Bernard Buys, expressed his pride in the team for obtaining seven medals in their time in Europe, especially with added challenges. “They did phenomenally well, and we’re very pleased. We were able to put a team together, and it wasn’t easy because of funding since we had to travel by ourselves,” he said.
“We will be having a national tournament in October in Johannesburg, and next year we’ll be attending an international tournament that we have been invited to. We are looking to test our mettle and defend a few medals with the team we put together.”
Training during lockdown level 5 was a difficult one for the team as they had to shift training to online and faced more restrictions including no contact and training in the dojo. However, Buys said the team bringing home seven medals despite all the restrictions faced made the result all the sweeter.
One of the martial artists, Leila Chite, said she had learnt an appreciation for the kumite format of martial arts while taking part in the tournament. While she did not get to take home a medal, she still relished the moment of being in Macedonia and having new experiences to better her training.
“I was so worried that I wouldn’t make it past the first round, and I had a slight issue with my knee. I just remember feeling really happy for myself that I was able to go somewhere internationally for something I love. I was proud that I got there for my own skills. We had training sessions before the tournament, and it was a great experience to learn and take away something. I was really nervous before my match, but I was ready. I didn’t feel like I was under pressure, but I was able to take the match as a learning experience,” she said.
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