Langehorst siblings represent South Africa in Croatia

The Langehorst siblings Thea and Sven of Fourways Martial Arts Academy are in Croatia competing in different karate competitions.

Thea, who is 16 years old is in Croatia for the World Youth League Championship. “I’m incredibly excited about it, it’s such an amazing chance to be here and to compete at such a high level,” she said.

Thea has been doing karate for 11 years and specialises in kata which is a sequence of movements that can be applied in fighting. “Karate is also amazing because not only does it teach you self-defence, but it also builds up your confidence and it’s great for your body, both physically and mentally.”

Her brother Sven (19) has been doing karate for 13 years. He is in Croatia to represent Karate South Africa (KSA) in the World Karate Federation training camp. According to him, this is where top karate instructors train hundreds of students from all over the world.

He is also there to compete in the U21 cup championship for individual kata and individual kumite, which can be described as a form of fighting. “I am very honoured to be here and compete on an international level against so many other countries,” he said.

He added his greatest accomplishment so far was winning the Commonwealth Championships for the team kata event in 2018 and representing KSA in the Karate World Championships in 2019.

Thea has been a Protea karate athlete since 2017 and achieved a gold medal, two silvers and a bronze in the African Union Sport Council Region South championships over the past few years.

Their mom Anke said she was proud of the pair and she admired their perseverance and passion for their sport.

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Local karate star to represent South Africa at the World Karate Championships