The reigning World Fighting Kyokushinkai Organisation Championships Africa champion, Zimbabwean karateka Brian Chiringa is gunning for more success after he struck gold in the Men Under 80kg category at the Len Barnes Memorial Karate Tournament at Umlazi Sports Centre in Durban last week.
BY TAWANDA TADERERA
Speaking to Standardsport following his return from South Africa, Chiringa said he believes that he had potential to win a world title if he manages to acquire sponsorship for upcoming tournaments.
“I still have hope of achieving more because the pinnacle of any person in any sport is to win a world title and as of now, that is one thing I am looking forward to. I also want to continue working harder and hopefully I will be able to get sponsorship to allow me to travel for international tournaments,” he said.
The 33-year-old said he had learnt a lot from attending tournaments such as the one in South Africa last week.
“It’s a platform where we are able to learn different skills and the good thing about karate is that you learn every day and with every tournament you learn a new thing. When you train sometimes you concentrate on certain areas but when you go to a tournament that’s a time when you actually see how much you have improved,” he said.
Chiringa expressed excitement at the major strides that Karate has made in the past few years.
“When you look at karate from where it started and where we are right now, a lot of ground has been covered in a quest to lure the sponsors. Now it’s a different sport because people appreciate it more compared to back in the day when it was regarded as outdated,” he said.
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Chiringa began his karate career in 1993 on August 8 in Mbare and his grandfather was his main source of inspiration in his decision to take up karate.
“The inspiration to pursue karate comes from my grandfather who was a boxer during colonial rule. He used to fight a lot of matches but that time boxers fought with bare hands and that’s where a lot of inspiration comes from,” said Chiringa.
Chiringa is a teacher at Ardbennie Primary School.
He went on to say that lack of sponsorship was hampering the growth of the sport in the country and Zimbabwe is failing to host prestigious events that South Africa has been enjoying.
“The issue of sponsorship is one of the main challenges that we have in karate because every time when you have to go for tournaments, especially when it comes to financial issues, we can’t afford to cater for our expenses,” he said.
