Nuha Shah from PFA won her first match in the Youth B (14yr - 15yr) Girls under 57kg division Nuha Shah from PFA won her first match in the Youth B (14yr - 15yr) Girls under 57kg division. She ultimately took Silver in this division. Picture: MMAWesternCape
Cape Town - The Western Cape MMA team returned home with glittering results following last month’s South African National MMA Championships.
Twelve athletes represented the region at the highest national level, with an equal number of podium spots recorded at the conclusion of this year’s event, which took place in Edenvale, Gauteng, from the May 3 to 6.
In the senior division, Andrew Retief secured the gold after winning the Men’s Junior Middleweight division, while Iviwe Mphathiswa walked away with a hard-earned bronze medal in the Men’s Senior Welterweight category.
In the Youth division, Connor Oosthuizen (Youth C, 12-13 years, Boys under 44kgs), Yasin Edwards (Youth B, 14 -15 years, Boys under 52kg), and Ryan Gunzo (Youth A, 16-17 years, Boys under 65kgs) all came home with bronze medals.
Yasin’s brother, Umar Edwards, walked away with a silver in the Boys under 57kg division.
Last year’s South Africa’s gold medalist at the World Championships, Nuha Shah, continued her dominance on the national circuit securing gold in the Girls under 52kg division and a silver in the under 57kg division.
The Western Cape’s Tofeeq Khan (Youth B, 14-15 years, Boys under 52kgs), Dante Jones (Youth B, 14-15 years, Boys under 57kgs), John-Lee Jones (Youth A, Boys under 70 kgs) and Kyle van der Kolf (Youth A 16-17 years, Boys under 93 kgs) stood tall atop the podium with their gold medals.
According to MMA Western Cape coach Lyndall Sandenbergh, Andrew Retief and Iviwe Mphathiswa will represent Team SA in Angola for the African MMA Championships before flying to the Worlds in Doha later this year.
The Youth team for the trips is yet to be named.
Sandenbergh has urged the public to assist with sponsorship where possible, as all athletes raise funds for travelling and accommodation, themselves.
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