logo
Elsburg's Thunder MMA shines at national championships with eight medals

Elsburg's Thunder MMA shines at national championships with eight medals

The Citizen24-06-2025

Elsburg's Thunder MMA shines at national championships with eight medals
Thunder MMA from Elsburg celebrated a triumphant return after securing multiple medals at the Mixed Martial Arts South Africa (MMASA) National Championships.
Held from June 13 to 15 at the DLI Hall in Durban, the event showcased top martial arts talent.
The championships saw impressive performances from various fighters, highlighting the growing talent in South African martial arts.
ALSO READ: Local star claims MMA national title, targets Pro Boxing
This talent includes nine fighters from Thunder MMA with eight out of the nine bringing home medals, contributing to the club's fifth-place overall finish.
Standout performances came from:
• Dinizia Monteiro (17), won gold in under 60kg.
• Nathan Graff (13), won gold in under 52kg.
• Zander du Preez (18) won gold.
• Jordin Coxen (11), won silver, he made a memorable national championships debut.
• Luvuyo Mnyenyevu (23), achieved a bronze in his first nationals despite only eight months of MMA training.
• Etienne Greyvenstein (19), won bronze.
• Walro Fourie (10), from Elspark Primary School, claimed a bronze medal.
• Johandre Fourie (14), from Osterlig High School, won bronze.
• Kayden Wassel (18), from Vryburger High School, represented the team with dedication but failed to win any medals. He previously went to the IMMAF Youth MMA World Championships in Abu Dhabi worlds twice in a row.
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Kaizer Chiefs announce 56-goal striker
Kaizer Chiefs announce 56-goal striker

The South African

time28 minutes ago

  • The South African

Kaizer Chiefs announce 56-goal striker

Betway Premiership heavyweights Kaizer Chiefs have a new striker with the name Flavio Silva on his passport. The Guinea-Bissau-born attacker has signed on a free transfer after leaving Persebaya Surabaya in Indonesia. Kaizer Chiefs also confirmed that Silva will wear jersey number 77 on his back. Mbule's first comment on Orlando Pirates Kaizer Chiefs unveil Flavio Silva. Image: @kaizerchiefs/X 'Player Announcements! We are pleased to announce the signing of Portuguese striker Flávio Silva from Persebaya Surabaya in Indonesia,' the club said via social media. 'The Guinea Bissau-born player will wear jersey #77. Welcome to the Family!' Kaizer Chiefs announce new player from Portugal The 29-year-old Silva, who has played his football in Portugal, Luxembourg and Indonesia, has 56 career goals in 194 matches. Last season, he scored seven goals in 16 games for Surabaya, while the best season of his career was in 2023/24 with Persik Kediri, where he struck a fabulous 23 goals in 29 matches. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.

De Allende says Brown has taught old Springboks new tricks
De Allende says Brown has taught old Springboks new tricks

The Citizen

time33 minutes ago

  • The Citizen

De Allende says Brown has taught old Springboks new tricks

'A lot of us old guys, we have learnt a lot over the past year through Tony. So it is incredible to see the development of the forwards especially.' Springbok attack coach Tony Brown has been said to have done much for the national side's attack play outside of set-pieces. Picture: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images Springbok centre Damian de Allende has sung the praises of attack coach Tony Brown, who he said has enhanced the national side's attacking game since joining the Bok setup at the beginning of 2024. De Allende said Brown, a former New Zealand flyhalf who played most of his provincial rugby for the Highlanders, has taught old dogs new tricks, especially outside of set-piece play. 'Rugby is changing' 'Not just for myself but for us as a whole group, and us as a rugby-playing country, it was massively important to get someone like Tony Brown in,' the Springbok veteran said. 'To test our skills and to teach us new skills. To teach us how to move the ball before contact and where to move the ball. 'Rugby is changing, the rules are changing. You can see it already. In some of the competitions, the refs don't want to give penalties anymore at scrum time. So I think they are trying to make the game more dynamic. 'We have to improve and develop our game [because] even if we get dominance at scrum time, we might not get the penalty. So we might have to just be ready to be able to play rugby like Tony Brown wants us to play.' Tony Brown takes Springboks from strength to strength De Allende, at 33 and with 87 Test caps under his belt, said even players as experienced as him had learned much under the former All Black. 'And we are on the right path. That is the most important thing. A lot of us old guys, we have learnt a lot over the past year through Tony. So it is incredible to see the development of the forwards especially, with their skills. 'I think this year we will go from strength to strength but by next year and the year after going into the [2027] World Cup I think it is going to be a very exciting time for South African rugby with the development around the players around Tony Brown.' The Boks kicked off their 2025 season with a big win against the invitational Barbarians in Cape Town last weekend and this week face Italy in the first of two Tests in Pretoria. They also face Georgia in a one-off Test before turning their attention to the Rugby Championship, where they are the defending champions.

Bayanda Walaza leads South Africa's young sprint stars at 2025 African Championships
Bayanda Walaza leads South Africa's young sprint stars at 2025 African Championships

IOL News

timean hour ago

  • IOL News

Bayanda Walaza leads South Africa's young sprint stars at 2025 African Championships

Bayanda Walaza, South Africa's teenage sprint sensation, will be hoping to add to his recent medal haul at the CAA African U18 and U20 Championships from July 16-20 in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Young sprint star Bayanda Walaza will lead the South African charge at the 2025 CAA African Under-18 and Under-20 Championships from July 16-20 in Abeokuta, Nigeria. The team includes 14 girls in the U18 division and 19 women in the U20 age group, as well as 17 U18 boys and 20 U20 men. The world-class squad is spearheaded by U20 world 100m and 200m champion Walaza, who will compete in the junior men's 100m event. Walaza broke the South African U20 100m record in Zagreb, Croatia, on May 24. His time of 9.94 seconds was also just 0.03 seconds off the U20 world record held by Botswana's Olympic gold medallist Letsile Tebogo. The 19-year-old SA sprint sensation was also a key part of the SA 4X100m relay team that stormed to gold at the World Athletics Relays in China earlier in May. He ran the lead-off leg, with veteran sprinter Akani Simbine anchoring the team that finished in a world-leading time of 37.61. They became the first African team to win gold in this event at the World Relays. Walaza also won silver in the 4X100m relay alongside Simbine at last year's Paris Olympics.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store