‘Hajime’ for 2022 as KJK Judo hosts West Rand Gland Slam
Event for national rankings and preparation for Gauteng championships
To reach the top you must ‘hajime’ and never ‘matte’.
The Japanese martial art of judo is raring to go in 2022 as KJK Judo hosted the West Rand Grand Slam on February 5. Roughly 60 judokas aged from seven to adult tied up their gis for a round-robin showdown … The event was qualifying and preparing for the upcoming Gauteng provincials but many more competitions populate the calendar including the South African Schools and South African Championship events.
Still following strict Covid protocols, age groups were allocated time slots so as not to fill the dojo with too many bodies at one time. Social distancing may have been in place but the close-quarters combat on the mat was eye to eye as judokas jockeyed for position to execute that perfect hip toss or lock in an unbreakable hold.
A total of 26 winners medals were handed out to boys in age and weight categories ranging from 34kg to 90kg. The youngest was eight-year-old Joshua Haaroff, with the heaviest being the 90kg pair of Willem Truter and Rikus Hall, all from KJK Judo. In the girls category, 14 winners were awarded medals with Meike Fouche being the girls’ youngest medallist at nine years old. A special mention goes to brother and sister pair, Aiden and Tyla Stacey-Hale, who both picked up winner’s medals on the day.
