Father and son bring back bronze medal at African games
FOURWAYS - Father and son Sensei Stef and Silvio Biagioni with teammate Sensei Marius Madgwick took third place for Team South Africa as part of team karate kata at the African Games in Congo, Brazzaville.
“The games come around every four years and for me this was the only tournament I thought I would never see at my age, however, to share it with my son, Silvio, was just the cherry on the cake and we have a medal to show for it,” said Stef.
Stef, owner of Fourways Martial Arts academy, is a sixth dan Goju Ryu (hard-soft style of karate) instructor with 35 years of experience, and his son, Silvio, is a second dan with 14 years of experience.
Karate kata is executed as a specified series of a variety of moves, with stepping and turning while attempting to maintain perfect form.
The kata team had a very difficult draw which saw them beating Senegal in the first round and beating Botswana in the second round. The team lost in the semifinals to Algeria but beat Cameroon to clinch the bronze medal.
“Participating in the games was the highlight of my career and I believe it is the closest I will ever feel to the excitement of the Olympics – and that Sascoc [South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee] took us there was very heart-warming for me,” Stef said.
“I have the ambition to compete and do well in next year’s world championships in Linz, Austria.”
Details: www.fourwaysmartialarts.com; 011 705 1080.
