THE countdown has begun for four KZN athletes selected to represent South Africa in the WKF Junior, cadet and U21 World Karate Championships in Santa Cruz De Tenerife, Spain.
Emma Geyer (brown belt) will be participating in the under 54kg cadet division, Candice Leslie (black belt) will participate in the under 53kg junior division, Hannelore Constable (black belt) will participate in the under 61kg U21 division, and Osman Ahmed Ghoor (black belt) in the under 55kg junior division. The karatekas are in training under the guidance of Shihan Brando Pillay, who was recently selected as the technical head convener of Karate South Africa.
The World Karate Championships is an event for the youngest karatekas which will pave their path and open their way to participate in the Senior Championships, 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Argentina and the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Shihan Brando Pillay, technical convenor of KSA, who has been fully committed to training the KZN champs, expressed his confidence in the four athletes who are ready to fight their way to the final in Spain.
“Our four KZN athletes have been training hard and are dedicated to their sport. I am proud to be by their side as they represent our country in battle at the games,” he said. He said the future is bright for the four elite karatekas as they are the new generation who are training hard and getting ready to shine at the world champs.
