{"id":157867,"date":"2017-08-09T05:40:00","date_gmt":"2017-08-09T03:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/157867\/humbling-international-experience\/"},"modified":"2017-08-09T15:19:05","modified_gmt":"2017-08-09T13:19:05","slug":"humbling-international-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/sports-news\/2017\/08\/09\/humbling-international-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Humbling international experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tebbutt\u2019s Mixed Martial Arts Academy was well represented at the 2017 US Open ISKA World Martial Arts Championships.<\/span><\/p>\n

The club\u2019s Dan\u00e9l van Heerden and Kas Pretorius were selected to compete at the championships which were recently held in Florida, in the United States of America.<\/p>

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Van Heerden placed first in continuous fighting and the creative weapons kata division, while Pretorius placed third in continuous fighting, point fighting and class sparring.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am very happy to have had two of my athletes compete at the championships,\u201d said kanchu Alex Tebbutt, the owner of the Lambton-based academy.<\/p>

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\u201cThat on its own is a great achievement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tebbutt said he is most humbled by the results both athletes produced.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was a big tournament with close to 4 000 athletes competing,\u201d said Tebbutt.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey performed exceptionally well, especially when one considers the magnitude of the competition.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Also read:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Action-packed all style tournament packs a punch<\/a><\/p>\n

Karate make instructor proud<\/a><\/p>\n

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Van Heerden was invited to compete at the night show on the Saturday evening of the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was teary-eyed when I heard the news of van Heerden being invited to the night show because only the best of the very best fighters at the tournament get invited to it,\u201d said Tebbutt.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe placed third in the musical weapons kata at the night show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hard work is one of the factors that contributed towards her success.<\/p>\n

\u201cI trained very hard for the competition and it feels amazing to see all my hard work finally pay off,\u201d said van Heerden.<\/p>\n

\u201cI must admit it was nerve-wrecking though. I had to calm myself down and remember that my dad (Jannie) taught me not to let the nerves get to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cTebbutt helped me prepare well for the tournament and I am grateful for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tebbutt added that Germiston and South Africa can be proud of such big achievements.<\/p>\n

\u201cPretorius\u2019 opponents were really big and it takes a lot of guts to fight opponents that large.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am humbled and proud of both the athletes and their results.\u201d<\/p>\n

Van Heerden said she couldn\u2019t have done it without the support she received.<\/p>\n

\u201cI appreciate the support I received from my family, friends, Tebbutt, the club senseis and every club member. It was encouraging to know that I had their support all the way,\u201d said van Heerden.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is really a proud moment for me because just a few years ago I was on a white belt and today I have a brown belt and I am competing at international competitions.<\/p>\n

\u201cOverall, the tournament was interesting; I met different people and it was also exciting to see the different ways people fight.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was fun and well organised.\u201d<\/p>\n

The youngster shared a few of her tips on succeeding at competitions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you step onto the mat to compete, you must put aside all emotions and remember what you were taught,\u201d said van Heerden.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you are in complete fight mode, nothing else matters but winning.<\/p>\n

\u201cLastly, never give up or lose hope because if you work hard, and focus on what you love, then you will achieve great things.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Have a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor)\u00a0<\/span>germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, Leigh Hodgson (journalist)\u00a0<\/span>leighh@caxton.co.za<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>or Puleng Sekabate\u00a0<\/span>pulengs@caxton.co.za<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n

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Catch-up on more local news with our sister newspapers\u00a0<\/span>Bedfordview Edenvale News<\/a><\/strong><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>Alberton Record<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Kempton Express<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n

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