Ermelo twins make their way to National Karate Championship
The Okpugo twin brothers hope to further their skills by competing until they are adults and even open their own dojos.
Chinede and Chibuzo Okpugo competed at the National Karate Championship at the Coega Vulindela Conference Centre in Port Elizabeth on August 20.
The twin brothers (12) had entered the Elite Provincial Championships in 2020 despite being in the development stages of the sport, and qualified to represent the province before the Covid-19 pandemic.
They are holders of multiple medals they had collected from karate competitions.
The pair’s instructor, Eugene Smit, is thrilled to announce that the boys will be moving to an advanced stage in the competition.
“Next year their sensei will be switching them to the elite division. Their goal, however, remains the same – to become South African champions. They will also be grading to their brown belts, which is the one before the black belt,” Smit said.
He said both boys have a passion for karate. They hope to further their skills by competing until they are adults and even open their own dojos to share their knowledge with other students.
“Karate is not just a sport, it is a way of life and a lifelong discipline.”
When they were preparing for such an advanced competition like this one, the brothers attended four training sessions a week since early March; two junior training sessions to refresh their basics and improve their general fitness and two senior ones to keep improving their current set of techniques.
“They spent countless hours sparring, repeating their katas and regularly breaking a sweat, We saw their dedication to the sport, because even during their examination periods, they worked extra hard, attending each class regardless of how tired they were after homework and studying. With all challenges faced in competition and with all the preparation for the sport, mentally, physically and emotionally, they emerged even better karate practitioners than they ever expected themselves to be.”
The Okpugo brothers won a gold medal and bronze medals in kumite, which is a freestyle form.
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