Father-son duo do South Africa proud
FOURWAYS - A top student at Fourways Martial Arts Academy, Silvio Biagioni (17) and his father Stef represented South Africa at the 22 WKF World Championship in Bremen, Germany.
Father and son together with Marius Madgwick competed in the Team Kata male division and came ninth.
With a career spanning more than 30 years Stef is a sixth dan instructor. A dan is a system of ranking to indicate the level of one’s ability.”[Kata] is not actually a form of fighting and you have no direct contact with your opponent,” said Stef. “It is rather more of a gymnastic, self-defence movement done in unison by all three participants.”
At age 44, Stef was proud to be competing alongside his teenage son with both men sporting full Protea colours. Leading to the tournament in Bremen, Stef snapped a tendon in his bicep. “I thought it was just a pulled muscle,” he said.
Upon his return from Germany he underwent surgery. “I was just happy to represent the country,” he said. “Karate is an amateur sport in South Africa and we were up against professionals so we did better than I expected.”
