Meet the man behind 26 SA wrestling titles
Richards Bay Protea Wrestler, KleinJan Combrinck departs for Salvador, Brazil for the Junior World Wrestling Champs.
KLEINJAN Combrinck, holder of 26 South African wrestling titles and a junior and senior Protea representative, loves his cats Fudge, Misty, Milo, White Cat, Ogies, Sokkies, Kabouter and Panther.
He shares his space with a menagerie of exotic animals, many of the large and slithery kind, because his father is Zululand’s creature catcher and shelters unexpected guests dropping or sliding in at all hours until suitable alternative accommodation can be found.
And that is the extent of KleinJan’s social activities.
No TV, no hobbies, no special relationship, substance use or junk food.
It’s all about wrestling.
When not training, he is fighting, when not fighting, he is coaching and when not coaching, he is promoting the Richards Bay Wrestling Club.
He eats, sleeps, lives and dreams wrestling and his eyes are now firmly fixed on the Olympic Games.
His latest fighting assignment was at the Johnnie Reitz Big Five tournament where he bagged three gold medals two weekends ago.
Last Friday he jetted off to the Junior World Wrestling Championships in Salvador, Brazil, after qualifying at the Africa Championships in Alexandria, Egypt.
There, he competed against fighters of 18 countries and qualified for the Junior and Senior All Africa Games in Brazzaville, Congo.
But who is the man behind the wrestler?
His friendly, shy smile reveals little of the inner steel which earned him title upon title – until you notice the focus in his eyes.
He has broken his nose a couple of times, sustained a concussion, almost had a finger bitten off and dislocated his shoulder, but in light of the thousands of fights he has under the belt, he is clearly not a man who pulls on the short end.
While wrestling in the All Stars tournament in Pretoria, an opponent knocked him with the head, leaving a shiner big enough to horrify any mother, but mom Linda says she just grins and bear it because her son has been on the carpet since he was six.
KleinJan’s coach, mentor and partner, is father Jan, himself a former wrestler and SA graded coach, who also had the proud honour to conduct his son’s capping ceremony.
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