Union High Schools learners made their mark at the 𝗠𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 (𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗔) 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀, held in Pretoria on 14 and 15 June.
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 680 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢’𝘴 𝘔𝘔𝘈 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺.
Fighting under the banner of KOSA (Kickboxing & MMA of South Africa), the Eastern Cape emerged as the top-performing province, proudly taking first place overall – a testament to the dedication of its fighters and the support of its coaches and communities.
𝗔𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀, who represented not just their school, but their province and age divisions with courage beyond their years.
𝗘𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗲, competing up an age group against 13-year-olds, showcased exceptional versatility and heart, earning:
Bronze in Grappling
Bronze in MMA Light
Silver in Points Fighting
Her sister, 𝗖𝗵𝗹𝗼𝗲-𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗲, boldly faced off against her 17-year-old opponents and proved her resilience with:
Silver in Grappling
Silver in MMA Light
Bronze in Points Fighting
𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘀, stepping into a challenging 13 to 15-year-old division, demonstrated sharp technical skill and tactical control, walking away with:
Gold in Grappling
Silver in MMA Light
Not to be outdone, 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘄 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘀, competing in the 10 to 12 age category, dominated his field with power and precision, earning:
Gold in Grappling