Karatekas rake in medals

Fifteen members of the Goju Kai Ekurhuleni Karate Academy attended the recent Karate South Africa Elite and Open All-styles Championships in Tongaat, KwaZulu-Natal.

The team had an outstanding weekend, raking in 31 medals consisting of 16 gold, six silver and nine bronze. The members of the dojo competed in 22 finals.

The tournament is divided into two separate championships, the first being the KSA Elite Championships in which the six top-ranked students in South Africa compete against each other for ranking places.

These ranking places ultimately will determine which athletes get selected for the African continental championship and the WKF World Championships in Dubai.

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The second part of the tournament is the South African Open Championships, in which the second-tier athletes compete against each other for ranking points to try to break into the elite ranks.

Undoubtedly, the Goju Kai Ekurhuleni Karate Academy is one of the top dojos in the country from a tournament perspective.

Jesse Sim won a gold medal for senior men’s kata and a gold medal for senior male team kata, while Gabriella Toweel won gold in kata and kumite.

Mikayla Alves brought back a silver medal for kata and a bronze medal for kumite, while AJ van der Merwe achieved a silver medal for kumite.

Tyler Kabali-Kagwa was the winner of a gold medal for team kata, a gold medal for kumite and a bronze medal for kata.

Connor Hundermark received a gold medal for kata, a gold medal for team kata and a bronze medal for kumite. Phumelele Ngwenya walked away with a gold medal for team kata, bronze medal for kata and bronze medal for kumite, while Mathew Soares received a gold medal for team kata, silver medal for kata and bronze medal for kumite.

Stefan van der Merwe received a gold medal for team kata, a gold medal for kumite and a bronze medal for kata and Praneel Ramjee walked away with a gold medal for team kata.

Chloe Keartland won a gold medal for kata and a silver medal for kumite, while Darshan Govender received a silver medal for kata and a bronze medal for kumite.

Connor Falls achieved a silver medal for kumite and a bronze medal for kata.

Sensei Bongi Ngwenya and sensei Bradley Ho Tong each won gold for senior men’s team kata.

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