Zim karateka wins gold in SA

Zimbabwean karateka Tangai Mhlanga yesterday booked a ticket for a trip to fight in Russia after clinching the first African World Fighting Kyokushinkai Organisation middleweight belt in South Africa.

The Russia-based WFKO will pay for Mhlanga’s trip to Chaykovsky where he will participate in another full contact tournament set for April 24-26.

Mhlanga was handed the winner’s belt by WFKO-Africa representative Sensei Shaun Burgess while his compatriot, Shadreck Chigombe, was in third place.

On his way to land the belt, Mhlanga passed through eight fighters with South Africa’s John Alvaro being his final victim in a five-round contest.

While Mhlanga walked away with a championship belt and an all-expenses-paid trip, the rest of the fighters who took positions two down to four were given participation medals and trophies.

Sensei Burgess said he was proud of the Zimbabwean fighters who had performed well despite travelling by bus for a long trip of 24 hours on their way to Johannesburg.

“It was an excellent tournament which was well organised. I must say I am proud of the Zimbabweans who travelled by bus for 24 hours and ending up winning as well,” Sensei Burgess said.

He added that Mhlanga has to work hard if he entertains chances of winning in Russia come April.

“Mhlanga is expected to compete in Russia, but I must say in Russia there is a very different standard of fighting than we saw here.

“As much as he won this belt he needs to go back and train really hard for the coming months before the tournament because in Russia the standard is very high,” the WFKO-Africa representative said.

Mhlanga will be looking at tracing the footsteps of fellow countryman Samson Muripo, who became the first African to win a world karate championship title.

Muripo scooped gold in Japan in 2009 during the first International Karate Organisation Kyokushinkaikan First World Karate Tournament in Tokyo.

He defeated Japanese champion Kikuyama Yasumichi in the final within three minutes.

Muripo’s feat put Zimbabwe and Africa on the world map and after that victory, Zimbabwe was ranked the third best country in karate after Japan and Russia.