Bronze for Katja’s judoka at Commonwealth Games
‘I couldn’t believe that I had just won and International medal’
One of Sensei Katja Bruwer’s judokas, Kyeren Bartman, did very well at the recent Commonwealth Games that were held in Jaipur, India.
The 20-year-old was one of nine judokas that were selected to compete at this competition, and managed to bring back a bronze medal.
Kyeren, who only started judo three years ago, said, “When I heard that I was selected, I was quite nervous, but also excited. The thing that scared me the most was the fact that I would be flying to India on my own, which, if I am honest, was a nerve-wracking experience.”
He added that he almost did not make it to India to compete, as he almost boarded the wrong plane, and said, “All the information signs at the airport were in Arabic, and nobody really spoke good English, so I almost boarded the plane to Cairo, Egypt! But, luckily I found the right plane and arrived at my intended destination.”
Kyeren had three fights, of which he won one (against Sri-Lanka) and lost two (against India). “It was such a strange feeling when I stood on the podium and realised that I had just won an International medal,”said Kyeren.
He concluded by saying that his whole Commonwealth experience was a good one, but also tiring, and he said, “I was very tired as I had to fight and work hard, but I felt good.”
Katja said that she was extremely proud of Kyeren’s achievements, as he started with judo at a very late stage in his life, and he was pretty much thrown into the deep end.
“When he started, all his training partners were people, who for the most part, had been doing judo for many years, who were fit and strong and had been competing on national level for many years. There were no ‘beginner’classes or competitions for him, and training was tough. He often left training physically and emotionally exhausted. But, in the true spirit of the sport, all his training partners supported him and helped him to develop and improve. I am very proud of this young man for his perseverance and persistence,” she said.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
For free daily local news on the West Rand, also visit our sister newspaper websites
Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages to let your voice be heard!
