Fly kicks run in family’s blood

It is like-father-like son when it comes to Shihan Stef Biagioni and his 18-year-old son who recently participated in a major karate competition.

November 10, 2023

Ditiro Masuku 1 minute read

Shihan Stef Biagioni is on the podium as champion, second place is Poland, and the two third places is Ukraine and Germany.

Shihan Stef Biagioni is proud to be a champion in the International Banzai Cup not once but thrice.
Biagioni won his third title in Germany, Berlin with the competition taking place from September 23 to 24.

Alessandro and father Stef Biagioni. They both recently showed their karate skills in Germany.

He said, “I won the cup in 2014, then again in 2018 and now in 2023. I am feeling fantastic and proud of myself, as due to Covid-19 I was absent for three years before this win.”
Biagioni is an instructor at the Fourways Martial Arts School and he took a group of his students which included his son Alessandro (18).
He said even though his son did not win, he fared quite well. “Alessandro took part in the Senior Kata Division with 27 competitors in his draw. He had two rounds of kata of which he just lasted out by a small margin to advance him to the third round.

“He qualified for the quarter-finals in his age group but was later eliminated. I was impressed with how he performed, it so was good.”
The Banzai Cup International attracted more than 20 countries including 179 clubs, 1 229 entries and 1 000 competitors from 10 years old to veterans.
Biagioni competed in the Masters (40 years and above) Kata division. He drew a difficult pool which included the hot favourite from Germany whom he met in the semi-finals.
“A tiebreaker kata had to be performed again between us. That is where I eventually won doing ohan kata and therefore qualifying for the final. In the final, I won a gold medal beating Poland with anan kata.”