Cape Town’s very own karate kid, Zain Roman, has been selected to represent South Africa at the International Karate Training seminar in Tokyo, Japan.
At the tender age of 11, Roman is currently a dark green belt and is aiming to make his way to brown belt status by November this year. The young karate enthusiast who is considered a senior was born prematurely at 26 weeks, weighing only 740 grams, his mother says he, ‘fought his way till today.’
Since birth he had several surgeries done to his tiny body and in spite of the hardships he proved himself a fighter.
Roman’s passion for karate started at the age of 5 when he joined Kyokushin-Kan Karate-Do Organisation in Kuilsriver, where he has been training with his Shihan Gavin Smith. Roman’s hard work paid off when he received his Western Province colours at the age of 7 and in 2018 he came in second place at the South African Champs tournament held in Johannesburg.
During the seminar in Japan, he will have the opportunity to engage with Japanese instructors, learning new techniques and furthering his skills in the art of karate. The training will commence on June 17 2020 where Roman will get the chance to train alongside fellow karatekas for two weeks.
Tammy, Roman’s mother, who is a single dedicated parent, is trying to raise funds to ensure Roman will be able to attend the seminar comfortably. She has announced a raffle on her facebook page https://www.facebook.com/partyhirebytammy/ and the community is being encouraged to support and help give Roman the chance to reach for his dreams one karate chop at a time.
Picture: Supplied