Two residents of Hermanus will head off to the World Combat Games next year after being crowned African Continental Kickboxing Champions.
Legacy Martial Arts Academy instructor Ruehan van Romburg and Zaanru Fraser, one of his students, will head off to Saudi Arabia in October 2023 to compete at this prestigious event against kickboxers from across the world.
This comes after they participated in the WAKO African Continental Kickboxing Championship last week along with seven other members of the Overberg Kickboxing Association. Eight of the group are members of Legacy Martial Arts Academy and the ninth, Elxzandre Syster, is from Panic Room Martial Arts Academy in Barrydale.
Van Romburgh and Zaanru Fraser both won gold in their weight divisions for point fighting. Fraser also won silver in continuous fighting.
Syster won two gold medals – one for continuous fighting and another for point fighting.
Fraser and Namika Pieterse were the only females in the group. Namika, who is only 9 years old, showed she is a promising young fighter to be reckoned with, winning gold in point fighting.
Devine Januarie beat his team mate Gareth Cupido in the u-74 kg division point fighting final to win gold. Gareth got silver for point fighting but went on to win gold in continuous fighting.
Dylan Isaacs, who will represent South Africa in three fighting modes at the Junior World Kickboxing Championships in Italy in September, won silver in continuous fighting and gold for point fighting.
Aidan Brummer, who won both the Newcomer of the Year and School Sportsman of the Year titles at the Overberg Sport Awards, won gold in point fighting. His team mate Giovanni Momberg won silver in point fighting.
Van Romburgh, who was also part of the SA team’s coaching unit, says being selected for the Combat Games is a dream come true. “The fact that two of us are going is unbelievable,” he said. “For me, it’s a lifelong dream come true! I started training when I was only three years old and Zaanru started training with me when she was nine.”
Overstrand Executive Mayor Dr Annelie Rabie, congratulated Van Romburg and his students on their achievements. “To see Hermanus’s own among the country’s finest on the continental stage fills us all with pride. For you to get to where you are is no mean feat. You should be very proud of who you are; you should be proud you not only represent your club but also contribute to the name of the Overstrand as a great place to train, work, live and invest. We wish the team every success.”
Anyone who wishes to assist the kickboxers with donations to help cover their travelling costs to the international competitions can contact Van Romburgh on 078 621 4054 for the Overberg Kickboxing Association’s banking details.