BONGANI MALUNGA
Ofentse Bakwadi has stated his intention to grab a gold medal at the upcoming World Karate Championships in Austria. The global karate tournament will see the Botswana Karate Association (BOKA) have two representatives in Bakwadi and Lame Hetanang who departed for the European country on Monday alongside head coach sensei Peter Molefe.
The competition runs from October 26 (Wednesday) to November 1. Hetanang and Bakwadi are part of the championships by virtue of winning medals at the 2015 All Africa Games. Bakwadi told Gazette Sport that despite not having a proper international training camp in preparation for the tournament he is still targetting a medal.
He has enlisted the help of famed South African instructor Karen Prinsloo to get in top shape for the championships. “I had the opportunity to train with Karen Prinsloo a few weeks back in preparation for the competition. I have been training twice a day with national team coach Molefe. The last time I participated in the World Championships was in Paris in 2012,” said Bakwadi.
In the 2012 championships he lost 3-1 in the second round against then defending champion Demitris Triantifilous of Greece, he had won 8-0 against a Venezuelan opponent. “Hopefully, this time I will go further in the competition. My aim is to bring a medal. I know it is not going to be easy considering the lack of funds we find ourselves in, which made it impossible for us to have any international friendly or training camp,” he concluded.
Bakwadi bagged a gold medal earlier this year at the Australian Open Karate Championships against Egyptian Hasanen Yehia in the final, his international form could prove handy in his effort to win a medal in Austria.