Roberts had to shed off the stern challenge of Same Hluke in kumite after failing to get to the kata final, which was won by Sandra Matenge. Roberts' kumite bout against Hluke was arguably one of the most exhilarating on the night. Her rival, Matenge took advantage of her kata disappointment and went on to beat Lame Kana in that class.The karatekas were vying for places in the team that will represent the country in South Africa next month at the JKA Open Championships.
JKA used the Championship to pick 50 athletes from ages 6 to 30 who will represent the country in the regional tournament late in October. As expected in the men's bout, China Metswi was crowned kata champion albeit after being given a torrid time by Thabang Lesole. Metswi also won the kata title last year.And when it came to the kumite fight, Metswi had an easy route to the final, with all his opponents failing to put up a strong challenge.Saturday's tournament was well attended with a total of 274 karatekas participating across all ages. JKA vice chairman, Ebrahim Sakarea said the attendance was quite heartening. He said they would take 50 karatekas to South Africa next month. "We are looking at 50 athletes, we sent 34 for last year's tournament and now we want to send mostly the youth," Sakarea told Sport Monitor."We have improved in terms of numbers and I'm grateful to the parents who attended today. It is important for them to rally behind their children."
