It was a difficult and challenging journey for the KwaZulu-Natal martial arts team who lost to Gauteng in a thrilling finale at the Karate South Africa (KSA) Major League Championship in Bloemfontein, this weekend.
Team captain, Riasha Singh, a seasoned Protea karate fighter, expressed her delight at the efforts demonstrated by the young KZN side against the senior Gauteng fighters, led by olympic hopeful athlete Meghan Booyens. Seasoned KZN coach, Sensei Njabulo Khumalo, said despite losing at the final, the team made an impact and their presence felt at the highly contested tournament. “The championships proved to be a winner all round with the KZN team members winning a bagful of medals in the various individual categories apart from the team events.”
KSA and KZN technical convenor, Brando Pillay, who was responsible for the preparation and mentoring of the KZN team, also expressed his satisfaction with the success of the team. “Our KZN team worked very hard prior to the championships in Bloemfontein and their hard work paid dividends, no doubt.” Sonny Pillay Hanshi, President of KSA who also serves as the president of the Commonwealth Karate Nations of the world, said the performance from Team KZN was outstanding. “KZN brought back many gold and silver medals, among which a number of gold medalists were crowned national champions. All credit goes to Brando Pillay for mentoring these young warriors.”
Pillay also paid tribute to the KSA Tournament Commission for their efforts in conducting a championship in pandemic times. “I am overly impressed with the stringent combat Covid-19 compliance protocols that were firmly in place ensuring the safety of all athletes at the action-packed championships.” KZN top ranked Protea athletes will now prepare at the Shotokan Karate International-South Africa (SKISA) head quarters at the Tongaat Sports Centre for the forthcoming SA Open and Elite Championships in July.
