VANDERBIJLPARK – Tri Dragons Martial Art Academy held a one-day spectacular kickboxing tournament over the weekend, May 27 at Portuguese Hall in Vanderbijlpark.
Dozens of fans were treated to a lineup of talented fighters from all over the province, showcasing their skills.
The jaws-dropping action-filled tourney left spectators on the edge of their seats throughout the day as young and old in all gender competed for their number one spot.
Speaking to Sedibeng Ster, Brandin Fourie, said the tournament was last held in the year 2000.
“The Great North 2 Vaal Challenge is an age-old tournament that I myself competed in it when I won my first national in the year 2000. The tournament drags back from 25 years back, but since my participation, this is the first time we have hosted it again in this very same hall,” he said.
“The tournament is one of four regional tournaments where students compete to see who is the best in the northern corridor. Some of the regions such as ours (Sedibeng), use these tournaments as part of their squad selection processes,” he added.
Fourie said hundreds of participants took part in their tournament.
“Over 41 clubs attended this event, with 240 athletes competing for their number one spot. Some of the top three clubs that garnered the most medals include the Red Dragons from Hartbeespoort, Fighters ST from Carletonville, and our very own hosting club, Tri Dragons,” he said.
Speaking on his club wins, Fourie said his junior fighters did well, as per usual.
“My students did very well with 19 junior fighters bringing home 16 gold medals, 18 silver, and 9 bronze. The tournament turned out a great success as many of the other instructors and clubs commended us on successfully hosting this event,” he said.
Following the successful hosting of this event, Fourie said they considering bidding to host the 2024 National kickboxing championships.
“We are looking towards it as this will not just boost our clubs in the Vaal but also the community and its economy. For now, we (Sedibeng kickboxing exco) are bidding to host GN1 in 2024 and our goal is to set a higher standard for the rest of the year on the other GN tournaments and Nationals,” he said.
