Martial arts academy in Ekurhuleni scoops 19 medals at nationals
Martial artists display skills and talent at the Songahm Taekwondo SA Championships.
Bedfordview’s Blackbelt Martial Arts Academy walked away with 19 gold medals, six silver and one bronze at the 2024 Songahm Taekwondo South Africa Championships between March 9 and 10.
Level 3 certified taekwondo instructor and 4th Degree black belts Sabumnim Marissa Katz and Sabuminm Faiyaz Khan led the academy.
The tournament was split into two days of competition.
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Day one, the Tournament of Champs, showcased the top competitors from 2023 competing for the title of National Champions and the chance to qualify to compete at the Songahm Taekwondo World Championships in the USA.
Day two was the Family Festival, the start of the 2024 competition year.
The results for the Tournament of Champs were:
National champ (six competitors)
• Khan
• Katz
• Sebastian Niederbroker
• Eric Marx
In the Family Festival showcase, they took 19 gold medals, six silvers and one bronze.
Reflecting on their success, the club said they look forward to a successful year ahead.
Sabumnim Faiyaz is a two-time world champion, and Sabumnim Marissa was the world family festival champion in 2022.
Both have many years of experience teaching songahm taekwondo.
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They decided to partner last year to open Blackbelt Martial Arts in Bedfordview.
Since opening, they have achieved district school of the year 2023 and first and third place in district instructor of the year 2023.
They offer classes from Mondays to Thursdays and on Saturdays.
For enquiries or to book a free class trial, call Katz on 082 356 6545.
