Karateka ready for elite competition
The president of the Namibia Karate Union (NAKU), Cornelius D'Alton, speaks highly of the union's athletes.
The Namibia Karate Union (NAKU) believes that its participants are ready to take on bigger competitions given what they have achieved at lower-level competitions.
The union says 2018 has been a noteworthy year for Namibian karate and athletes are gaining momentum and experience.
The year started with the national team trials, at which the finest young talents were selected for training.
“Since the selection of athletes, the team has undergone constant training and testing through competitions to prepare our athletes for more elite level international competition,” says the president of the union, Cornelius D'Alton. Naku gave an impressive performance at the 2018 AUSC Region 5 Karate Championships after finishing third out of seven countries.
“NAKU set its sights on the 2018 African Youth Games in Algiers, Algeria, which ended last week.
“To ensure the best chance of medalling, NAKU only sent the very best athletes in their respective categories.
“Freddy Mwiya Jnr (male individual kata and male individual kumite, -68kg), Mayvonne Swart (female individual kata and female individual kumite, -58kg), and Michelle Tjimuku (female individual kumite, -48kg) were our representatives at the Games.
“Accompanying the team were national coach Sensei De Wet Moolman and Namibian chief referee Sensei Wikus Oberholster.
“Day one of the karate competition started with the kata disciplines, and both athletes, Mayvonne Swart and Freddy Mwiya Jnr, faced large categories of 12 and 16 contestants respectively.
“Namibia's karate wonder boy, Freddy Mwiya Jnr, put on a very respectable performance of two wins and two losses, ultimately losing to Algeria and taking fourth place.”
The union said it was proud of the athletes' work rate at the Youth Games in Algeria.
“Not only did the athletes prove that they are ready to compete at such elite levels of competition, they each achieved a top five ranking on the continent, highlighting Namibia's high standard.
“The highlight of the trip was undoubtedly Mayvonne's performance, placing third in female individual kata.
“Having placed among the top three countries in Africa highlights Namibia's readiness to take on higher levels of competition.”
When asked to comment on his team's performance, Sensei Moolman said: “The fact that there is room for growth is an exciting prospect for the future of Namibian karate, and the work now has to be done to translate these results into even stronger performances at international level.”
Next stop for Moolman and his team is the 17th African Senior Karate Championships and ninth African Junior Karate Championships, to be held from 28 August to 2 September in Kigali, Rwanda, followed by the WKF Senior World Championships in Madrid, Spain.
“Both instances unfortunately require the athletes to pay their own way, finances allowing, but the Namibia Karate Union is optimistic that new sponsors will begin to see karate as a worthwhile opportunity to promote their brand.”
- Additional info by NAKU
The union says 2018 has been a noteworthy year for Namibian karate and athletes are gaining momentum and experience.
The year started with the national team trials, at which the finest young talents were selected for training.
“Since the selection of athletes, the team has undergone constant training and testing through competitions to prepare our athletes for more elite level international competition,” says the president of the union, Cornelius D'Alton. Naku gave an impressive performance at the 2018 AUSC Region 5 Karate Championships after finishing third out of seven countries.
“NAKU set its sights on the 2018 African Youth Games in Algiers, Algeria, which ended last week.
“To ensure the best chance of medalling, NAKU only sent the very best athletes in their respective categories.
“Freddy Mwiya Jnr (male individual kata and male individual kumite, -68kg), Mayvonne Swart (female individual kata and female individual kumite, -58kg), and Michelle Tjimuku (female individual kumite, -48kg) were our representatives at the Games.
“Accompanying the team were national coach Sensei De Wet Moolman and Namibian chief referee Sensei Wikus Oberholster.
“Day one of the karate competition started with the kata disciplines, and both athletes, Mayvonne Swart and Freddy Mwiya Jnr, faced large categories of 12 and 16 contestants respectively.
“Namibia's karate wonder boy, Freddy Mwiya Jnr, put on a very respectable performance of two wins and two losses, ultimately losing to Algeria and taking fourth place.”
The union said it was proud of the athletes' work rate at the Youth Games in Algeria.
“Not only did the athletes prove that they are ready to compete at such elite levels of competition, they each achieved a top five ranking on the continent, highlighting Namibia's high standard.
“The highlight of the trip was undoubtedly Mayvonne's performance, placing third in female individual kata.
“Having placed among the top three countries in Africa highlights Namibia's readiness to take on higher levels of competition.”
When asked to comment on his team's performance, Sensei Moolman said: “The fact that there is room for growth is an exciting prospect for the future of Namibian karate, and the work now has to be done to translate these results into even stronger performances at international level.”
Next stop for Moolman and his team is the 17th African Senior Karate Championships and ninth African Junior Karate Championships, to be held from 28 August to 2 September in Kigali, Rwanda, followed by the WKF Senior World Championships in Madrid, Spain.
“Both instances unfortunately require the athletes to pay their own way, finances allowing, but the Namibia Karate Union is optimistic that new sponsors will begin to see karate as a worthwhile opportunity to promote their brand.”
- Additional info by NAKU
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article