Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S Kobudo team proved their mettle at the ICO World Martial Arts Championships held at the University of Hull in England over the weekend after picking 11 medals.
Zimbabwe were represented by Wilfred Mashaya and Vincent Fambira.
They both competed in individual and team events over two days in weapon categories.
They picked four medals each in the individual events and won three medals as a team.
Mashaya, a seasoned martial artist, attributed their success to the hard work they put in building up the weekend’s competition.
“The tournament was organised and hosted by Mr Andrew Hennessy of International Combat Organisation (ICO) and the ICO Organising team. We were so impressed by the level of competition.
“The competition, yes it was tough but we prepared for it. We trained hard for so many months, we believed in ourselves, in our potential, in our talents that in the world of weapons we can stand up and rise, and compete with the rest of the world.
“We believe Zimbabwe has got that talent through us in weapons. So as Zimbabwe we are happy that we were invited to the tournament and we proved that yes Zimbabwe can do it,” said Mashaya.
The event attracted a total of 550 participants from more than 15 countries that include Germany, Wales, Ukraine, France, Zimbabwe, Lebanon, Hungary, Ireland, Scotland, Cyprus, Portugal, Spain, Brazil and hosts England among others.
They competed in various martial arts styles that included, point fighting, full contact, traditional forms, boxing, weapon categories and muay thai.