The SA Youth Kungfu Team was crowned the African Youth Kungfu Southern Africa Champions.
The second Africa International Youth Kungfu Championship took place on Saturday 2 March and Sunday 3 March at Fairbairn College in Goodwood.
“They trained, they competed and they conquered Southern Africa,” says Salma Natalie Doran from the M.J.Li Kungfu Foundation Kungfu athletes from seven African countries competed in kungfu forms, group forms and Chinese kickboxing contact over the two days.
The participating teams that went head to head were: South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique.
Top performers:
- Sinawo Yola, x3 gold (South Africa);
- Saifullah Chafeker, x4 gold (South Africa);
- Luqman Slarmie x2 gold (South Africa) and
- Maxwell Nkunta ×2 gold (Malawi).
“The SA Youth Kungfu Team proved too strong for their SADAC region counterparts,” says Doran with the grand finale medals tally reading:
South Africa: 4 Gold medals vs Southern Africa: nil Gold medals
medals table
- South Africa: 14 Gold, 8 silver, 3 bronze;
- Malawi: 2 gold, 1 bronze;
- Zimbabwe: 1 gold 1 bronze;
- Botswana: 2 silver 2 bronze ;
- Zambia: 2 silver and
- Mozambique: 1 bronze.
M.J.Li, the coach of the SA Youth Kungfu team, also defeated Malawi, Zambia and Botswana in the Masters TaiChi Division, clinching the gold medal.
M.J.Li has announced that the third Africa International Youth Kungfu Championship will take in the Mothercity on the 1 and 2 February 2025.
“The 2025 championship will include all the SADAC region countries and expand to accommodate extra countries such as Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya,” says Doran.
