Karatekas excel at open champs

The Shotokan Karate Academy International (SKAI) open championships took place over the weekend at The Dome in Swakopmund.Karatekas from across Namibia - from junior up to senior level - took part in the kata and kumite events.In the women's section, Suzelle Pronk won gold for both kumite and kata. She ousted Adelinde Lang (8-0) and Charmaine Jansen (9-0) in the kumite, as they claimed second and third place respectively.In the kata she accumulated 44.1 points to claim gold ahead of Adelinde Lang (42.5 points) and Charmaine Jansen (40.5 points), who earned silver and bronze respectively. Pronk was delighted with her victories, saying the tournament helped her prepare for the K1 Premier League.“It was very good. They added some extra rounds for the fighting, so I got to go four rounds, with coaches giving me some tips and advice, as I'm leaving next week for Rabat in Morocco.” ”I'm going to Rabat for the K1 Premier League, which is an international karate league where girls compete and get points. There are about seven of these and it's only the top 100 in the world that can compete there. “Mainly for me, it's just to get points to help me qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. I'm pretty new to it, so I only qualified for the K1 Premier League at the end of last year and did my first one in Dubai this year, and so this would be my second one,” Pronk said.She said it's difficult because a lot of European countries have more experience, as they have been doing the sport for the past 20 years and have been on the circuit. “My confidence is going up and I'm just looking to win more rounds, because obviously the more rounds you win the more points you win towards your Olympic standing.”“At the moment I'm the only Namibian on the circuit, so my aim is to go and open doors for the youngsters coming up,” said Pronk.In the men's under-21 category, Keanu Stuurman walked away with gold in both the kata and kumite. He defeated Dominique Tsaneb 10-1 in the kumite. In the kata he accumulated 43.9 points and finished ahead of second-placed Devano Diergaardt (43.5) and third-placed Shane Husselmann (43.1 points).“It's a very huge honour to win two gold medals at the Shotokan open but it only motivates me to work harder and win more medals every time I compete.”“It prepared me really well because I did not have enough training because I have school and other priorities, so this competition just showed me where my fitness levels are as a karateka. “So the next big competition for me is the Region 5 Champions (taking place on 23 to 25 May at The Dome) and I'm working towards that now,” said Stuurman.Adolf Kaure

Karatekas excel at open champs

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Namibian Sun 2026-02-11

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Karatekas excel at open champs

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Namibian Sun 2026-02-11

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