Story by Anashe Murombedzi
THE Zimbabwe Junior Taekwondo Team is set to compete at the South Africa National Taekwondo Championships in Johannesburg this Saturday.
A 24-member Zimbabwean squad, featuring athletes as young as five years old, will join more than 160 competitors at the regional tournament, which will be hosted at Pinnacle College.
The championships will also include participants from Mozambique and host nation South Africa.
Team Zimbabwe will compete across several weight divisions in both kyorugi (sparring) and poomsae (forms).
Zimbabwe has emerged as a strong force in African taekwondo after securing more than 30 medals at the previous edition of the championships.
Sensei Evan Brown of the Zimbabwe International Taekwondo Academy said the competition would provide valuable exposure for the young athletes.
“Most of them are competing for the first time. I think this will boost their confidence and help prepare them for much bigger events,” he said.
The South Africa National Taekwondo Championships are regarded as one of the region’s key competitive platforms for emerging martial artists.
The Zimbabwean team is expected to depart for South Africa on Friday.
