A kickboxer from Kariega, Jacques van der Westhuizen, has won three trophies at the US Open World Martial Arts Championships which was held in Orlando, Florida from 30 June to 2 July.
“It was very tough, and I received a few massive punches. Within the first 30 seconds of my first fight my helmet was knocked off my head,” said Jacques van der Westhuizen, a member of Fusion Martial Arts Academy with former world champion Sensei Cindy Strydom as his trainer. “The fighting was totally different from what I am used to. They called it mild, but it was full contact. We in South Africa practise controlled contact, but their rules and regulations are more lenient. So, I had to quickly adapt to hit with the same full impact.”
Van der Westhuizen said the experience was overwhelming. “I have never seen such a large venue and there were kickboxers from all outposts of the world. We were a small team of only seven kickboxers from South Africa, of which I was the only one from the Eastern Cape and the oldest in the team.”
In South Africa, Van der Westhuizen (50) used to fight in the 45+ age category, but at the US Open World Martial Arts Championships, he had to compete in his same weight and belt category.
“The oldest contestant I had to fight against was 37 years. This made my achievements even more special, as the opponents might have been quicker, but I made the wiser kicks and punches.”
Van der Westhuizen won three third place positions respectively in Continuous Sparring; Points Sparring; and Clash Sparring.
This was his biggest sporting challenge to date, but also a huge challenge to raise the required funds to be able to represent South Africa at a world championship. Therefore, he would like to thank everyone who supported his fundraising events as well as: Salome Pieterse, EC Sports Development Fund, Dr Steenkamp, Christo from Calbis Blue Bottle Liquor Store, Natalie from The Party Nook, SAPS Uitenhage Tea Club, and his SAPS Kamesh colleagues.
“A special thank you to my wife for her continuous support, motivation, encouragement and making me believe that I would succeed. Thank you also to Sensei Cindy Strydom for pushing me to my limits during training.”
