Bruce Lee steals show in SA

What a way to debut on the international stage!

In only his first outing internationally, the young Bruce Lee Pedro stuck to the legendary name when it comes to martial arts, ‘Bruce Lee’, when he stunned three tough rivals, before reaching the finals. He did not look back but went on to put a stellar show that saw him win the fight, and eventually the gold and trophy as in the Under-50kg category.

Pedro was among eight Eswatini Oyama Kyokushinkaikan Karate students who competed in the IKO Matsushima Provincial Tournament in Gauteng, South Africa (SA) on Saturday.

“This was Bruce Lee Pedro’s first international tournament, and we are overly excited about his achievement.

“We had a brilliant tournament overall as we brought five trophies back home,” Oyama Kyokushinkaikan Karate Eswatini (OKKE) Secretary Sensei Musa Ginindza.

Eswatini won two divisions as champions, the first being the Under-50kg and the Under-70kg, which was dominated by national champion Mpendulo Maqonga.

“He has emulated Sensei Sibhamu Mngomezulu, who has ruled in this division, giving his rivals a headache. Maqonga displayed such agility, speed, and precision in his execution, which compared to none,” explained Sensei Ginindza.

Maqonga beat three rivals before he was crowned champion.

…Nelly Gama shines to 3rd in open division She is a hard nut to crack.

That is open weight division national champion Nelly Gama. The country’s number one was among the ladies to watch in the IKO Matsushima Provincial Tournament Gauteng in Soweto’s Communal Hall on Saturday.

“The only rose among thorns, Nelly, stole the show in her open division to finish third and bring home silverware,” said OKKE Secretary Sensei Musa Ginindza.

Meanwhile, another silverware winner was Majaha Mkhulisi, who got position four in the males Under-80kg division.

“This was a very tough division in which he also had to fight his own teammate Lungelo Sibandze. This was a fight that had everyone standing watching in awe as the two emaSwati battled it out,” said Ginindza.

On another note, Samkelo Dlamini got position four in the males’ open division, a weight category that had all along been dominated by Sensei Linda Dlamini, who is now more of a trainer than fighter.

The winners’ list:

U-50kg

1. Bruce Lee Pedro – Champion

U-70kg

2. Mpendulo Maqonga – Champion

U-80kg

3. Majaha Mkhulisi – Position 4

Men’s Open Division:

4. Samkelo Dlamini – Position 4

Ladies Open Division:

5. Nelly Gama – Position 3