Harm Venter came home with a silver medal after participating in the African Judo Cadet Championships recently. The competition was held in Casablanca, Morocco.
Harm competed in the Cadet Boys >66kg weight division and finished in second place. He was part of the U/17 Cadet team and also a member of the Boys’ Team of five for the Team Competition. His coach from the KJK-Katja Judo Club, Katja Bruwer, was selected as the national coach for the U/17 and U/20 boys’ and girls’ teams. It was Harm’s final fight against a youngster from Gabon that was the deciding fight for the team as it enabled them to win the bronze medal.
“It feels amazing to have won and the team spirit was great. Coming home with not only a silver medal but a bronze medal too is special,” said Harm.
In the individual competition, Harm faced competitors from Morocco in the quarterfinals, Tunisia in the semifinals and Gabon in the finals. In the team competition, South Africa faced off against Tunisia in the qualifying round, Gabon in the quarterfinals and Morocco in the semifinals and finals.
To qualify for the Cadet Championships, Harm had to do well in the South African trials earlier this year.
This is not the first time Harm has represented the country at an international competition. He participated in the Commonwealth Championships, where he received a bronze medal. He also went to Scotland last year to compete in the Sportif International Judo Tournament.
“The crowd in Casablanca cheered us, which made the atmosphere exciting.
The competition was a great experience because I watched different kinds of fights. It prepared me for the big competitions I want to excel in, such as the World Championships,” he said.
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