by Ontiretse Motingwa

Onalenna Ndlangisa, junior karate coach at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus, was chosen at the recent University Sports South Africa (USSA) championship to represent South Africa at the 2022 Federation Internationale du Sport Universitaire / International University Sports Federation (FISU) University World Cup Combat Sports in Turkey later this year.

Onalenna, who is currently enrolled for a BA degree in industrial psychology, joined the NWU karate team in 2018.

After the unfortunate passing of the senior karate coach, he jumped in as junior coach to support the team. “I am due to grade to my black belt this year, hence I am a junior coach,” explains Onalenna.

The NWU karate team takes part in the USSA championships every year, since it is a great opportunity to compare their progress to that of other university teams.

“I am so proud of my team – this year we came home with nine medals: one gold, four silver, and four bronze,” says Onalenna.

Onalenna, who holds the gold medal, explains that coming first gives you a competitive edge and a better chance to be chosen for the national team.

“I went to the USSA's with an injury, and even though it was frustrating when I was competing against advanced opponents, I persevered, and now have a spot on the national team, for which I am truly grateful,” he adds.

The FISU University World Cup Combat Sports) will see the world’s best university athletes battle it out in six sports – boxing, karate, muaythai, sambo, wrestling and wushu. The event starts on 21 September in Samsun, Turkey, with the karate competition taking place from 27 to 30 September.

Onalenna says he is looking forward to the event. “As the NWU’s junior karate coach I will represent my team internationally, and I will use the skills and experience obtained from this competition to the benefit of our NWU team.”

Onalenna Ndlangisa.