Brakpan’s finest wrestlers off to Egypt
Two Brakpan wrestling club members, Martin Erasmus (20) and Matthew Bartlett (16), have been selected to represent team South Africa in the upcoming African Championships.
Erasmus will compete in both the senior and junior categories, and Bartlett will join him in the cadet category.
The championships will again be held in Egypt, and the team is set to leave at the end of May.
Bartlett competed in this championship last year, and returned with a silver medal, earning himself a spot in the team heading to the World Championships.
Sadly, he could not participate, due to an injury.
This year both wrestlers hope to not only qualify for the World Championships, but also to bring back gold.
This will be Erasmus’s first international championship, although he has toured before, as a cadet.
He will earn both his Protea and junior colours on this tour – a huge honour.
Both wrestlers have also done extremely well in the South African Presidents Championships, that were held during the school holidays, when Erasmus won his 26th gold medal in his 15 years as a wrestler.
Two of Brakpan’s younger wrestlers also took part in the South African Presidents Championships.
Fernando Booysen (13) won both the Greco-Roman and Freestyle titles in his weight category (30-33kg), and Quinton Saunders (15) took silver in the Freestyle weight 39-42kg.
Rassie Erasmus, the club’s head coach, was also selected to travel to Egypt, for the continental championships, and will be leading the Greco-Roman Cadet team onto the mat.
Brakpan Wrestling Club is also privileged to be the home of the manager selected for all three the teams (cadet, junior and seniors) Shaun Bartlett.
The club congratulated both wrestlers, coach and team manager on their selection and wished them luck.
