Caprice shines at KZN tournament

FOR Greenwood Park resident, Caprice Bengtson, karate is all about never giving up. The nine-year-old recently won two gold medals for kumite U9 at the KZN Shotokan Karate International South Africa (SKISA) Development Champs. The Northlands Primary School learner’s exceptional performance means she has now qualified to represent South Africa at the Indian Ocean Goodwill Championships in Mauritius next year.

Caprice, who recently received her KwaZulu-Natal colours said she was excited to represent her country at an international tournament.

“I’ve trained very hard this year and my sensei and my dad have encouraged me to keep pushing myself. I’m very happy with the two golds at the development champs, it was a big boost for my confidence. I’m focusing on medalling for the Goodwill champs. I’ve also set myself a goal of reaching the Olympics in 2024 for karate,” she said.

Earlier this year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) agreed to add baseball/softball, skateboard, sports climbing, surfing and karate to the sports programme for the Olympic Games.

Caprice added in order to be successful in the sport you had to be determined.

“When I first started, especially in kumite, I was really scared but I’ve used my height to my advantage,” she chuckled. “I try and move around quickly and be precise with my strikes.”