Local dojo champions to shine on global stage
The dojo's success serves as an indication of the hard work and commitment of its athletes and coaches.
The Triple Threat Dojo celebrates as five of its fighters were selected to compete at the World Karate and Kickboxing Union (WKU) Championships in Germany in October.
The dojo is founded, managed and coached by Wade Rendall, who is an eight-time kickboxing champion, a second-degree black belt and has over 19 years of experience.
The gym was established in November 2018, but Wade has been developing his own style of kickboxing training for the past 13 years, as well as a unique mix of sports conditioning, flexibility and joint mobilisation systems. His experience has enabled him to be chosen as the selected team’s head coach, taking the lead in preparing them for the championships.
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The WKU Championships are a prestigious event that brings together top karate athletes from around the globe. Coach Wade expressed pride and excitement about leading the team.
“I feel quite ecstatic that my fighters were selected for the SA team, as this will be our first time participating in the WKU World Championships, so we are eager to see how our fighters perform. I’m very proud to be the head coach, as there are a lot of good coaches in K1 SA, so to be chosen to lead the team is quite an honour.”
The fighters selected to compete are Chloe ‘GIPSY BEAST’ Assada, a five-time SA Champion and three-time WKO World Champion; Brett ‘CAPTAIN HOOK’ Heslop, who is a four-time SA Champion, one-time African Champion and WKO World Champion; and Thando ‘BIGGIE’ Mahlangu, a five-time SA Champion. Jordan ‘SEMPITERNAL BEAST’ van Niekerk and JD ‘FLASH’ Moolman, who is a one-time SA Champion, are the two middleweight fighters who have made the SA team.
“To prepare, we have a training camp once a month at various gyms, as well as Saturday sessions at our gym [if there are no tournaments that day], and we are trying to participate in as many tournaments as possible. We are going to Namibia in July to compete in their tournament, Desert Storm, and we are also planning to go to Cape Town to compete,” Wade shares.
