Lebohang Motshweneng from WSKF Kuro-Obi Shotokan Karate-do Institute, Sasolburg Dojo, received third place in Kumite at the recent KSA National Championships held in Cape Town on the 16/17th March 2019.

Lebo received his Free state colours during trials held in Bloemfontein on the 9/10th February 2019.

History: In 2010, at the age of 6, Lebo’s karate career started under Sensei Bryan Dukas. He started competing in 2012 at the age of 8 where he was chosen to represent Sedibeng at District Level, where he achieved highly.

In 2014, when he was 10 years old, he was fortunate to have the opportunity to compete at Provincial level, National level, and then be selected to represent our country at the Zone 6 competition.

In 2015, due to his performance, he was selected to represent South Africa at the 9th Youth World Cup in Croatia. This was a great honour for him, as he got exposure and the opportunity to learn from his peers who came from different parts of the world.

Currently: Lebo trains basically every day. His main training dojo is at Sasolburg Dojo but also trains with other WSKF instructors in the Vaal Region. Before competitions, Lebo puts in a huge amount of effort to attend extra classes with instructors that can assist him from a technical point of view. Lebo has a mindset of “back to basics”, because like he says: “I have learned from my instructor if my basics are good the rest will fall in place.”

Word from his current Instructor: “In this past 8 years I have seen Lebo develop into the karateka he is today, Lebo has a deep passion for karate. He is a hardworking and dedicated karateka, always eager to learn. Throughout the years he has become a great young role model for new young karateka. I see him growing up to be an established senior black belt and exhibits the qualities of assistant instructor in the dojo one day, he is one of the top performers in karate overall. His achievements speaks louder than words. As a member of WSKF karate, I have found Lebo to be motivated and a responsible student who master technique and applies it well. He ask questions to ensure that he has a firm understanding of the technique. Lebo is self-motivated and gets along with all his fellow karateka”.

Congratulations to other members of the WSKF Kuro-Obi Shotokan Karate-do Institute, Sasolburg Dojo who also received their Free State colours, Ulani Erasmus, Declan Gerber and Sasha Rogowski.