Katikati wrestling: Local champs win big at national championships in Tauranga

Ben Tanner.

Katikati wrestlers again showed their talents at the recent New Zealand 2023 National Championships held in Tauranga.

Local star Suraj Singh won a tussle with Kage Brown of Auckland in a best of three match thriller that also doubled as an Olympic Games’ nomination criteria.

The event attracted more than 200 participants at Tauranga Boys’ College last month.

Both Katikati athletes are considered highly by the national selectors and by winning this part of the selection process, Singh now has to perform at a similar level at both the Oceania Championships and then against the African qualifiers in Morocco next year.

Ben Tanner also had a stellar championship, gaining first place in his under-17 age group division and placing second in both free-style and Greco-Roman under-20 also.

Miles Jonson won gold in his age group and picked up silver and bronze in the older categories. Both young wrestlers are beginning to reap rewards for their dedication this year and are looking at competing at the Oceania Championships in Guam in January.

Sapphire Cross and Kaylie Clark also competed with distinction in the female categories with both wrestlers placing second and third respectively in their various weight divisions.

In the under-12 age group, George Donaldson and Kereterre Ainsley both medalled which was a fabulous effort given this was their first nationals.

Bo Te Ngaio, Garth Amrien, and Tom Miranda also wrestled with distinction and despite being unplaced, can be proud of their results.