Latest news with #Benoni
The Herald
4 days ago
- General
- The Herald
Dramatic end to Formula 1 powerboat season
The final round of the SA Formula One Powerboat Championship came to a dramatic end at the East Rand Speedboat Club in Benoni on Saturday. Championship leader Keagan Frankiewicz sadly barrel-rolled on the second lap of the opening heat and was transported to hospital with a back injury. With Frankiewicz out of the running for the day, it gave Bruce Repsold a chance to possibly win the sought after championship title, but it was not to be as Repsold unfortunately struck and dislodged the turn buoys at the top side of the circuit, leading to a disqualification in the opening heat. With the disqualification of Repsold, Michael Wessels, who was third in the championship going into the last round, needed a full house of wins to move into second place behind Frankiewicz, and this he did putting in a very calculated drive under massive pressure from the hard-charging Repsold. The large crowd that attended the powerboat festival on the Ebotse Dam in Rynfield were treated to some of the best racing action seen in many years as Repsold, who was running a 2 l motor tried every trick in the book to pass Wessels, who has upgraded to a 2.5 l motor on his SA-built Caudwell hull. Wessels' and John-Ross Duncan's boats were built by Caudwell Marine by Hi-Tech Automotive, on the outskirts of Gqeberha, many years ago and were fitted with Nissan V6 inboard engines and were raced in the World F1 Series with little success as they kept snapping the orbital driveshafts. The boats returned to SA and have been shortened, had transoms fitted to now use an outboard motor, and have been developed into top contending boats in the local championship. Wessels enjoyed three out of three wins and moved ahead of Repsold to finish second in the championship behind Frankiewicz, who has now won his third championship in a row. It was a fantastic end to the season for Wessels as he missed the third round of the season after having donated one of his kidneys to his mother in a life-saving operation. His father, Nico, ended the day in second place overall with Repsold in third, followed by the ever-improving Dylan Moolman in fourth, with Duncan in fifth. The Herald
The Citizen
04-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Karateka achieve podium positions at WUKF nationals
The New World Shotokan (NWS) Benoni dojo siblings Refiloe and Bokang Doro overcame nerves to win Gauteng silver and bronze medals, respectively, during the WUKF SA national championships in Gqeberha from April 3 to 6. The event, which incorporated the Afro-Asia Open, attracted over 800 competitors who were vying for a spot in the team that will represent the country at the 13th WUKF World Championships in Sweden next year. Refiloe competed in the girls' 14 to 15 third kyu kata against 20 girls. After a valiant effort in three rounds, she finished in second place with 45.9 points, a fraction behind the champion, Roxy Postma of Goshukan Karate SA, who won with 46 points. She opened her account with 18.4 points in the elimination round, which was the third-highest score in the round. In the semi-finals, she scored 21.4 points and ended her run with a perfect 24.4 points in the final round, missing the gold by 0.1, after Postma scored 24.5 to take the gold. The karateka expressed gratitude to her instructors, senseis John Barnett and Janien Potgieter, and her parents for their support. 'I wouldn't have been able to make it through every round without the help of senseis John, Janien and my parents. With their help, I was able to do exceptionally well in my katas,' she said. Bokang, meanwhile, finished third in the Shobu Sanbon third kyu 14 to 15 years 55kg kumite. She said she went through a wave of emotions competing in her first national championships. 'It was an exciting and nerve-wracking experience. There were many talented athletes and it was my first time competing at that level.' The karateka beat El-Jani Greyling 5-1 in the round of 16 before dominating Alayka Francis 3-0 in the last eight. But the wheels came off in the semis when Postma defeated her 5-0. She consoled herself with a 2-1 beating of Aria Francis in the third-place play-off to secure the bronze. 'I was exhausted in the final round but I told myself that I had made it this far so I had to give it my all. I ended up in third place and it was amazing. 'All my hard work, early mornings and late nights paid off. It felt incredible to stand on the podium knowing I had earned that medal,' she said. Barnett, the NWS chief instructor, said they are proud of the karateka. Also Read: Three NWS karateka to represent Gauteng at nationals Also Read: Potgieter collects top award at NWS karate prize-giving At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
