The 6th World Cup Tai Chi Chuan Championships were held in Taiwan on October 22 to 23 this year. Eldorado Park’s own Dawood Kruger represented South Africa at the championships and brought home the gold for the individual 24 form.
The 45-year-old started practicing Shukokai karate and moved to kung fu. When presented with an opportunity to learn taiji quan, he leapt at the chance and has been the South African champion since 1996.
Kruger hails from Extension Seven in Eldorado Park and has operated training schools at the Don Mateman Civic centre. The classes ended as a result of work commitments, but he has a trained assistant whom he holds in high esteem.
According to Kruger, “I loved soccer until I saw my friend’s knee was split in two during a match. At that moment, I knew I had stick with karate and running.”
The tournament hosted between 80 to 100 competitors from across the globe, so the competition was tough and this, coupled with the South African delegation paying their own way, made winning a must for the team.
The lack of sponsorship meant that this would be Kruger’s first time competing at the world championships, making his achievement even more noteworthy.
Tai chi or taijiquan, directly translated, means “Supreme Ultimate Boxing” is an ancient Chinese martial art which is practised for its health benefits and defence training. Practitioners of this martial art typically participate in competitive wrestling, demonstration competitions and achieving greater vitality.
It is associated with a number of training forms, particularly the forms which use relatively slow movements. Below are two clips of Dawood Kruger at the championships.
He will be undergoing an operation on November 2 and expects to be fully recovered within a six week period following the procedure and requests that aspiring taijiquan practitioners contact him on 084 747 7271.
