POLOWANE – Wrestlers of Ion Baciu Wrestling Gymnasium are geared up for the United World Wrestling African Championships.
The championship will take place in El Jadida, Morocco from May 17-22 and Ion Baciu has four wrestlers who will represent the country at the championships.
Coach Jan Roets explained that they have a strong team. “There were trials that took place on March 5 in Gauteng and the four wrestlers Marais Hattingh, Lené van As, Ruan Meintjies and Steyn de Lange are currently top in the country in their divisions,” he said.
Roets said he is proud of the group as they work very hard and put in a lot of hours.
“It has been a lifetime of commitment to accomplish what they have. If Lené and Steyn end in the top four at the African championships, they will qualify to go to the Commonwealth Games, although the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee would still have to decide if they want to pick them or not, but that’s the first step,” he said.
He added that preparations have been tough, especially with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, but they have stuck to a routine and put in extra training.
“Everything is sorted and we cannot wait for the championship. They must go there and believe in themselves, trust their training and the effort they put in, as well as believe in God and their talent,” he concluded.
