Young karateka determined to win at all cost
Some support even came from fighters from opposing camps to himself. He was fighting in the boys under 60kg division and weighs 52kg.
Duduza – Tshepang Phadime (15) has once again dominated his opponents to bring home the gold.
Phadime took on seven of his fellow fighters and teammates in the Kyokushin Kai-Kan National Full Contact Karate Tournament held in Voslorus Civic Centre Hall last Saturday.
From the beginning, he was head and shoulders above the rest in his division and attracted love and support from all spectators in the hall.
Some support even came from fighters from opposing camps to himself. He was fighting in the boys under 60kg division and weighs 52kg.
“My concern was that he went into this tournament injured, which affected his preparation for it as they had to be careful while training not to worsen the injuries.
“I wanted to remove him from the tournament since there were no opponents in his weight category, but Phadime insisted that he would fight with those weighing 60kg.
“But I had to trust his fighting skills and the strong heart he has,” said coach and founder of IKOK Sonoda – Duduza, Bheki Radeb.
After winning Phadime was invited to compete in Japan, with his teammate, Thandolwethu Malaza.
“They need to raise about R45 000 each, which includes flights, accommodation, and local travelling in Tokyo,” added Radebe.
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Phadime’s teammates from IKOK Sonoda-Duduza dojo also gave a fierce fight against their opponents, as Thandolwethu Malaza (16) fought till she reached the finals, where she received second place.
“She experienced some fatigue and couldn’t execute her killer mawashi-geri kick on her last opponent after she eliminated three fighters.
“Other fighters from Duduza were Mincili Dubula (10) who placed third in the girls under 40kg, and Ntlakanipho Ndabezimbi (10), who was also third in the boys under 40kg,” said Radebe.
Radebe said he is proud of his fighters including Nqobile Mabhena, Kamogelo Mashinini, and Jehovaungiphile Kunene, who fought very well but were eliminated in the process before the finals.
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“Karate is a very intensive sport which is why it is guaranteed that anyone training in karate will eventually develop a huge amount of respect, and positive attitude and gain courage.
“We do this sport out of love and passion, hence from time to time we rely on our communities to support us with equipment and donations.
“Currently, we are grateful to the management of the Resource Centre in Duduza for training space as we had nowhere to go.
“Anyone willing to join us will find us there from 17:00 to 18:00,” added Radebe.
