Scott Kenee realized his dream of winning Gold for South Africa with triumph at the 2016 IMMAF Africa Open Championships, which culminated on September 3 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The first international amateur competition to take place on African soil was hosted and regulated by national governing body Mixed Martial Arts South Africa (MMASA). In the finals of the 185lb bracket, Kenee faced Sweden’s Heytham Rabhi, a member of the world’s number-one ranked national team in the official IMMAF amateur world rankings. Kenee secured victory for his country and earned Africa Open Gold after a competitive split-decision result, but for Kenee, there was never any doubt. “It feels great, I’ve always dreamed of winning Gold for my country and to do it in a sport I love is just amazing. When I was standing waiting I knew I had won. “I was super focused and just concentrated on the game plan and what my coach JD Du Plessis was telling me to do. Heytham was a really tough opponent and to have beaten him means a lot to me, it shows that South Africa can compete with top ranked countries and come out on top.” The host nation’s accumulated success saw South Africa advance to become the number-two ranked national team, behind Sweden. South Africa earned a total of 16 medals across the 8 contested divisions, including 3 Gold, 5 Silver and 8 Bronze. MMASA president Bertus Coetzee expressed his pride for Kenee and the national team’s achievements on home soil which follow on from the 2016 IMMAF World Championships in Las Vegas, USA, where Team SA’s Pieter Roedulf Roets won Gold at 155lbs and Dwain Meredith achieved Bronze in the +265lb Super-Heavyweight bracket. “It was spectacular. We are elated that one of our own achieved such a feat and the hard work we have put in is paying off. For us, it is a milestone to surpass in future as our aim is to be ranked among the top 3 countries in the world on the IMMAF rankings. Our team came to Represent our country and Scott Made us extremely Proud!” Kenee has now turned his attention towards the 2016 European Open Championships, scheduled to take place from November 22-26 in Prague, Czech Republic, hosted by the Czech Mixed Martial Arts Association (MMAA). Click HERE for medalists and results of the 2016 IMMAF Africa Open Championships. By IMMAF.org lead writer and website manager, Jorden Curran]]>
