Diepkloof’s favourite karate team has reached for the stars yet again. The Kofukan South Africa karate team recently travelled to Durban to take part in the Junior, Cade and Children National Championships that took place at the University of KwaZulu-Natal Westville Campus.

The team performed to the utmost, together with karatekas from across the country.

“It was definitely a great weekend of karate in Durban. It must be noted that my athletes’ journey to the nationals started last year.

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“They first took part at the Johannesburg regional karate trials last year November were they qualified successfully, the next step for them was the Gauteng Provincial Karate Championships that took place in early February this year and they were all successful in placing and were also awarded their Gauteng Provincial Karate colors by the Gauteng Sport Council,” said sensei Thabo Molubi of the Kofukan South Africa Karate Team.

“Being placed at the Gauteng Provincial Karate Championships automatically qualified them to represent Gauteng as a province at the Karate South Africa Junior National Championships. It’s a long and tough journey that requires discipline and consistency from the karatekas.

“Karabelo Maduna was our first athlete to take to the tatami on the second day of the championships, representing our team and the Gauteng Karate Federation in her Kumite division. She was ready for this and also understood that it was not going to be a walk in the park for her to win her division.”

Maduna rose to the occasion in a fiercely contested kumite division that featured elite karatekas from all nine provinces, and she eliminated most of them to reach the finals.

Unfortunately, she lost by a narrow margin in the final and managed to scoop a silver medal.

“I am extremely happy and excited with what Maduna has managed to achieve. This is the second time in her karate career that she has become a national karate champion in her kumite division, and she will be representing South Africa on the international stage.

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Serole Rangongo was our second athlete to take to the tatami on day two of the championships. I saw him at the warm-up area and the look on his face told me that he was ready and wanted to win so badly.

“His kumite division was very tough, given that he is a junior elite athlete. The karatekas in the junior kumite divisions are at their peak and move like a bullet train and strike like lightning; that is how fierce the competition is on the junior level.”

This, however, did not halt Rangongo; he rose to the occasion on his kumite division and proved once more that he is one of the best athletes from his team.

He won most of his kumite bouts, finished the division in third place, and earned a bronze medal.

“This is also the second time for Rangongo to become a national champion in his kumite division, and it also indicates that with consistent training and focus, doors open for bigger things and achievements. I am glad that we started the year on a high note, and we plan to keep it this way for the rest of the year.

“We have got a lot of activities on our calendar for the year, and this is what excites our karatekas. They get to travel all over South Africa and sometimes even abroad. All parents who are interested in enrolling their children with our academy can get hold of me on 079 921 3600.”