Karate aces show best moves in PE

Karate action was in full flow at the Boardwalk Hotel’s Tsitsikamma Room as more than 260 karateka battled it out in the third United World Karate SA National Championships on Saturday.

The tournament was competed on six floors in categories ranging from novice to elite.

Federations and affiliates in attendance included the South African Shotokan Karate Academy, South African National Shotokan Association, Shotokan ZA, Shotokan Circle of Karate and United Shotokan-Ryu as well as individually affiliated dojos from across the province and country.

“The championship was extremely successful with United World Karate South Africa once again showing positive growth in membership over the past 12 months,” the body’s president, Gary Grapentin, said.

“Based on results achieved at the weekend’s championship, a team will be selected to represent South Africa at the 2019 United World Karate World Championships.

“This was also the first time that the championship had been held in Port Elizabeth,” he said.

Out on the floor, the action was fierce, especially in the senior men’s brown to black belt kata and kumite (forms and fighting) categories with Jacques Badenhorst, of Dragons Karate Club in Gauteng, winning gold in both categories.

Shaun Kapp (Dragon Suburbs Karate Dojo, Port Elizabeth) and Lutho Singata (Rhodes University Shotokan Karate Club, Grahamstown) were the respective silver medallists in the kata and kumite categories.

Both Badenhorst and Singata will be travelling to Dundee, Scotland for the United World KarateWorld Championship in June.

Tanya de Villiers, of PE Noord Karate Club, clinched the senior ladies brown and black belt kata category with Mel Ackerman, of East Cape Shotokan-Ryu in Grahamstown, placing second.

These positions were reversed in the kumite category, with Ackerman taking gold and De Villiers silver.

In the veteran men’s brown and black belt kata category, Mzwandile Matebese, of Joza Karate Club in Grahamstown, won gold, while the Western Cape’s JP Muller (Brackenfell Shotokan Karate Academy) claimed top position in the Veteran Men’s Kumite.

Anne Hartley, of East Cape Shotokan-Ryu in Port Alfred, won gold in the veteran ladies kata category.

The cadet boys (15-17 years) red to black belt male kata and kumite categories were both won by Brent Smith, of East Cape Shotokan Ryu, Grahamstown.

Morishca Minnie, of PE Noord, won gold in the cadet girls’ red to black belt kata category and in a controversial kumite final in the same age category, Kayle Olivier, of East Cape Shotokan-Ryu, of Grahamstown, was awarded gold after her opponent was disqualified for excessive contact.