Matt ready to dominate on the mat
Sherwood Gardens resident Matthew Bartlett (19) has been hard at work in training during the last month ahead of the United World Wrestling Junior World Wrestling Championships in Trnava, Slovakia, from September 17 to 23.
The Brakpan Wrestling Club talent has been training in Budapest, Hungary, alongside clubmate Fernando Booysen (16), the Junior National Team from Hungary, the USA, as well as Germany with some of the top wrestling coaches.
Booysen will return home just in time for a holding camp for the Youth Olympic Games which will be taking place in Argentina in October.
Bartlett will be wrestling in the 74kg freestyle category which features 26 other hungry competitors in the weight division.
Also read:Â Ward achieves his pro wrestling dream
It will be the first time the wrestler competes at the Junior World Champs.
He did not attend last year’s championship as he was busy with his matric preliminary examinations at Hoërskool Stoffberg.
The wrestler is hoping to improve on and better his last two performances as a cadet wrestler where a 23rd spot was his best placing.
He has, however, shown good form heading into the Slovakian event with a number of medals at international competitions and a silver medal at the Continental Championships in Nigeria recently.
There he was defeated in the final against his long-time nemesis ‘Sammy’ from Egypt.
The rivals are set to meet again on the mat on September 22 as the Egyptian is also entered in the 74kg weight category.
Follow us:
For more #hyperlocal news at your fingertips, visit Springs Advertiser, Boksburg Advertiser, Benoni City Times, African ReporterÂ
