Constantia Kloof national karate champion selected for World Combat Games
USSA is the official unified national umbrella sports structure of South Africa
For many children, karate is a great way of building confidence and character.
Tyrone Gray proved this when his mother encouraged him to take up the sport at the tender age of seven as he was shy and often picked on. The second-year Bachelor of Commerce in Economics student at IIE MSA has been selected to represent his country at an upcoming competition to be held in Eurasia from September 27 to 30.
To qualify for the competition, Tyrone participated he University Sports South Africa (USSA) Semi Contact Trials selection tournament. Tyrone was crowned national champion in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and has ranked first in his weight class for four years. He recently won gold at the Arnold Classic and shone at the USSA trials with the assistance of The Independent Institute of Education (IIE).
“The atmosphere and experience were amazing. Being surrounded by students sharing the same love for karate was inspiring and I appreciated seeing the various techniques and tactics used by people from disparate backgrounds.” said Tyrone, who trains at Morgan Moss Karate and Sports Centre in Krugersdorp.
Elaborating on the link between student life and sport, Tyrone said, “There are so many benefits to being an athlete while being a student. Of course, the benefit of your degree towards building a career is the primary focus, while at the same time being an athlete gives you a break and opportunity to focus on different aspects of yourself and of life.
“For example, travelling and meeting diverse people could even assist you at a job interview one day with having a better understanding and appreciation of differences.”
