Africa-Press – Namibia. A small group of six Namibian Karateka won six bronze medals at the Cadet, Junior and Senior African Karate Championships which recently took place in Cairo.
Of the six medals, four were taken in the junior divisions, with Jewel Slinger and Justin Scholtz taking third place in their respective Kata and Kumite divisions.
Marziaan Mouton also won a bronze medal in the Cadet Female Kata division, while the national team captain Suzelle Pronk won the final bronze medal in the Senior Female Kata Division. Pronk once again made history by being the first Namibian female athlete to win a medal in a senior division on African level since 1991.
Coach Llewellyn Manale said the performances underlined the fact that Namibia can compete against the best. “We are no longer participating, now we are competing for medals on an African Karate level. It’s refreshing to see that we are working in the right direction with our athletes and that all their hard work is paying off,” he said.
The Namibian Karate Federation also congratulated the team on its performance: “We would like to congratulate all our athletes as well as the national coach on this spectacular performance. The NKF would also like to extend its gratitude to both the Namibian Sports Commission as well as Swakopmund Plaza Hotel for their assistance and contributions towards the team,”it said in a statement.
The five athletes who represented Namibia at the event were: Suzelle Pronk (national team captain), Freddy Mwiya Junior, Marziaan Mouton, Jewel Slinger, Justin Scholtz and Ronja Porteus.
The delegation was accompanied by the national coach Sensei Llewellyn Manale, team physio Michael du Plessis and the president of the National Karate Federation, Marchelle De Jager.
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