Brakpan wrestlers conquer nationals in Cape Town
Brakpan Wrestling Club’s seemingly endless conveyor belt of talent continues to churn out champions.
This past weekend at the South African Wrestling Federation’s (SAWF) President’s National Championship in Cape Town, the club’s wrestlers picked up gold medals in the categories in which they wrestled.
Jacques Kriel picked up a gold medal in the 110kg Greco-Roman junior division as well as a gold medal in the 97kg freestyle junior division.
Arghale Muller also picked up two gold medals at the championship, with a win in the 74kg freestyle category and another win in the 71kg Greco-Roman junior division.
Former club wrestler Matthew Bartlett, who now wrestles for the University of Pretoria (Tuks), picked up a gold medal in the 79kg freestyle junior division.
Kriel, who is an up-and-coming referee, received Referee of the Day accolades on March 16 for his officiating on the mat by the SAWF’s Referee’s Council.
The 19-year-old Kriel is also part of a contingent of local wrestlers who will be heading to this year’s Continental Championships in Tunisia at the end of this month.
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Kriel will represent South Africa in the junior team. He was a 2017 cadet gold medallist at the African Championships and has a silver medal and two bronze medals from previous years.
Bartlett, a four-time silver medallist, will represent the country in the 74kg freestyle division.
Brakpan Wrestling Club’s two-time African champion, Fernando Booysen, will wrestle for the South African cadet team in the 55kg freestyle division and will hope to retain his continental champion status.
The club’s Morne Pretorius is a newcomer to the continental scene and will be striving to impress in the 65kg Greco-Roman division.
Club coach Rassie Erasmus and Commonwealth wrestler Michael Gaitskill (who is still in recovery mode following a car accident last year) will coach the cadet team at the continental event.
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