Bakwadi excels in Dubai Premier League
Calistus Kolantsho | Thursday April 6, 2017 18:00
Bakwadi was competing under the men’s individual kata where he faced off against 117 competitors. He was tied for 11th place with Roozbeh Roshani of Iran.
Spain won the men’s kata through Damian Quintero, with Ali Sofuoglu of Turkey and Abolfazl Shahrjerdi of Iran finishing in second and third spots respectively.
Bakwadi had travelled with other karatekas, Lame Hetanang and Thabang Setshego. Hetanang lost in the first round in the women’s kata despite putting up a good performance. Setshego was also booted out of the competition in the first round of the men’s kumite.
He faced a tough battle against an opponent from Iran, a two time WKF champion. Setshego was on course, having bagged the match 3-0 only to be disqualified for technical transgressions. Bakwadi told Mmegi Sport yesterday that being ranked 11th in the world is a big achievement.
“It shows I have potential to do better going forward. I just have to go back and work hard to prepare for the upcoming championships,” he said.
Botswana Karate Association (BOKA) public relations officer, Jerry Ditlhong said Bakwadi’s performance in Dubai was an indication of growth. He said it is something that the association has been longing for. He said finishing 11th in a world championship is a mean feet.
“This does not come easy. The competition was tough but he did not bury his head in the sand. He is a motivation to upcoming athletes,” he said.
Ditlhong said Bakwadi stands a good chance of bringing a gold medal from the upcoming Africa Karate Championship that will be held in Cameroon. He said Bakwadi also has the potential of finishing in the top five at the WKF Championship.
Ditlhong said karate has always been doing well at international competitions and the challenge has always been infightings amongst members of the executive committee.
He said such infightings reflect badly on BOKA and scare away potential sponsors. Ditlhong said they always encourage athletes to do their best when they compete outside in order to bring home medals.