Wrestling ‘superstar’ wins Commonwealth gold
It’s South Africa’s first Commonwealth wrestling gold medal since 1958, when former Springbok wrestler Abraham Geldenhuys and a few of his teammates won gold in Wales, at the then Empire Games.
Stars do good things, superstars do great things.
Wrestler Martin Erasmus’ recent achievement at the Commonwealth Games in Australia has seen the youngster elevate himself to superstar level – for his country, family and friends alike.
The Pat Hinde Toyota Boksburg employee defeated two-time Commonwealth champion Mausam Khatri 12-2 in their men’s freestyle 92kg division final to be crowned his division’s champion – an achievement that has earned a permanent spot in South Africa sports history books.
Dubbed ‘Bulldog’ in local wrestling circles, the humble grappler, true to his persona, simplified his thoughts on his achievement.
“I just want to thank the Lord, it’s only God’s grace. It took hard practise and hard training. This is my biggest achievement to date.”
Erasmus, incidentally, had faced Khatri last December and lost to him, a result the 23-year-old Brakpan resident said played an important role in his remarkable win.
“I actually faced him at a tournament in December and I lost. I took note of his strengths and my weaknesses,” explained the Erasmus, a third generation grappler.
His father was an accomplished wrestler in his heydays and coach at where it all began for Martin: the Brakpan Wrestling Club.
His grandfather was also a wrestler.
He also took time to extend a word of gratitude to the people who he said played an influential role in his feat.
“Thank you to my fiancé Shané Synens and my parents, who’ve played a big role in supporting me.”
On his colleagues at Pat Hinde Toyota Boksburg, the champ said: “They have been awesome with their support for me and by giving me time off to compete.”
Erasmus’ gold was one of a total 13 the SA Team collected. The overall tally was 37, including 11 silver and 13 bronze.
He beat a lot of corners of the world on his way to his special reward, including opponents from Australia, New Zealand and Canada in his overall four matches. – @SabeloBoksburg
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