Die Ruiter Wrestling Club is beaming with pride and joy after three of their members performed admirably at a recent tournament.
Patricia Theledi, Machiel Grobler and Arghale Muller represented South Africa at the Cadet and Junior Continental Championships held in Algeria last week. The trio qualified for the event earlier this year when they excelled at the national wrestling trials in Cape Town.
Patricia, who was aiming for gold, returned home with a bronze medal and feels she could have done better in the tournament. “The competition proved that I still have a few things to work on, such as my strength. I pinned two of my opponents but unfortunately I could not hold the pins,” said Patricia, “so I am a bit disappointed at winning a bronze medal. But, I learned a lot in the competition and will work hard and improve,” she said.
Machiel, who was part of the Cadet team for the first time, was awed by his Algerian experience. He marginally missed out on a podium place, finishing in fourth position, but this did not dampen his spirit. “It was a nice new experience – the first time I travelled with the national team. I learned a lot and those lessons will help me improve greatly,” he said.
Machiel’s sentiments were echoed by Arghale, who finished in fifth place. He was particularly impressed by the high standard of the wrestlers who participated in the competition. “These wrestlers competed harder, and are tougher and stronger than South African wrestlers. This was a real eye-opener for me – those competitors live and breathe wrestling. However, it was a good thing because it helped expand my knowledge of wrestling and has me excited to try out all the different moves I saw during the competition,” he said.
The trio’s performances made their coach Dean van Zyl proud. He said it was their hard work that got them this far.
“We are very proud of them. Die Ruiter is the only Central Gauteng club represented by more than one wrestler. Their accomplishments can only be achieved through hard work and dedication. They are the future of senior wrestling in this country and are good role models for the young wrestlers, because they have respect and passion for wrestling,” said Dean.
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