Shamsud-Deen Khan, an Isipingo teenager, made his mixed martial arts family proud after he bagged multiple awards at the WAKO African Continental Kickboxing Championship.
More than 570 participants from 15 African countries competed in the championship in Benoni last weekend.
Shamsud-Deen, 13, placed first in three categories: hand styles and hand style weapons; points sparring; and continuous sparring and kick light.
Shamsud-Deen, whose grandfather and older brothers do mixed martial arts, began the sport at age four.
The Grade 9 pupil at Isipingo Secondary School said he trained at the Isipingo Martial Arts Club under the guidance of his granddad, Kyoshi Razak Ally (7th Dan).
“Over the years, I've also joined kickboxing, affiliated with the South African Kickboxing Association (SAKA).
"My family's rich martial arts heritage has been a driving force behind my passion. Following in the footsteps of my older brothers, who are world champions in full-contact martial arts, I'm driven to be the best version of myself and make my family proud,” said Shamsud-Deen.
He previously competed in local karate, full contact martial arts and kickboxing tournaments throughout the country over the years, achieving many trophies.
“My experiences have taken me to various local, national and international competitions. One of my most notable achievements was winning two gold and one bronze medal at the Uzbekistan World Cup 2024, where in my division of kick light, I competed against 41 competitors. My most recent competition was the Wako African Continental Kickboxing Championship. I secured 2 first-place and 3 second-place positions."
He said the most challenging aspect of his recent competition was facing a tough opponent in the kick light finals.
“My strength and technique pushed me to my limits during our finals but I made it through and I am proud of my achievements."
He is now focusing on qualifying for the SAKA provincial trials in Richards Bay next month and the South African National Championships in Newcastle in April.
“My ultimate goal is to represent South Africa at an international level once again in 2025. I am passionate about kickboxing. I'm committed to making it a career and I aspire to follow in my grandfather's footsteps and give back to my community by offering free martial arts training,” said Shamsud-Deen.