Times Of Swaziland: TOP 10 AFRICAN RANKINGS FOR TAEKWONDO CADETS

TOP 10 AFRICAN RANKINGS FOR TAEKWONDO CADETS
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BY ASHMOND NZIMA  on 29/10/2019 02:41:00


MBABANE – The Eswatini Taekwondo Federation (ETF) is already basking in glory
with their cadets ahead of their big dreams.
The country’s five taekwondo cadets were highly ranked in Africa, all making
it to the top 10. This comes after the five competed in the World Championships
in Uzbekistan in August. They are namely; Sifiso Dlamini, Gcinumuzi Nxumalo,
Sivunolesihle Dlamini, Kimberley Dlamini and Sihlelelwe Matsebula.
ETF Vice Chairman Sizwe Mabuza said this was a great achievement for the country
and the artists despite that there is still a long way to go to achieve more.
All the juniors are from Next Generation team based in Manzini at Fitness Zone.
Cadets are males and females that compete between the weights -33, -37, -41,
-45, -49 Kg.
“An artist accumulates points in every championship competition she or he
takes place in. The locals got to the rankings when they competed in the World
Cadets Championships in August in Uzbestan. This is the start of the long
journey as they have to now and again compete in international competitions and
accumulate points to improve,” he said.
competitions
“During international competitions, the highest ranked artists usually are
handed byes in preliminaries and they also worked during Olympic Qualifiers. We
are hopeful with full support, the cadets stand a better chance of making it big
in the world of taekwondo,” he added.
Mshengu said their next assignment would be the (Confederation of Southern
African Taekwondo Associations) COSATA Championships to be held in the country
at the Mavuso Sports Centre on December 7.
“The COSATA Games won’t count in the rankings as they are regional games.
The team is also expected to compete in the Africa Cadets Championships and the
World Junior Championships billed for Bulgaria.
But all this will depend on funding and we plead with sponsors who can partner
with us to do so,” he said.
Mabuza added that their target was the 2021 World Cadets Championships.