The
exploits of martial arts enthusiast, Sensei Wilfred Mashaya at the
international arena has landed him the greatest sporting gong in the country at
an awards ceremony held at the Rainbow Towers recently.
He becomes the first
police officer to be accorded that honour thereby creating a piece of history
for himself.
Sensei Mashaya was
nominated for the award alongside other sportspeople who were outstanding in
various sporting disciplines in the country.
The Minister of Youth,
Sport, Arts and Recreation, Honourable, Dr Kirsty Coventry herself the winner
of the prestigious award a record five times, was the guest of honour.
On the night, Sensei
Mashaya walked away with two awards – The Sportsman of the year 2018 and the
overall 2018 Sportsperson of the year.
He was elated
following this achievement that comes following a string of spellbinding
performances abroad where he conquered in Kobudo martial arts as well as being
honoured for his outstanding performances.
Sensei
Mashaya was all smiles for being honoured in his own country and attributed his
success to hard work, consistency, and self-belief.
“I am happy that my
nation has recognized my hard work by giving me this award. He said after
winning the award.
“This is not for me
alone but it is for the development of sport in Zimbabwe. Fish cannot leave
without water and as such, I would like to thank my management team, Zimbabwe karate
Union, my family, the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, the
sponsors, and the Commissioner-General of the ZRP and the police family for
their tremendous support. In fact, all my sojourns in foreign lands last year
were as a result of the ZRP sponsorship.
“I would like to call
upon other corporates to come aboard and support this Zimbabwean talent for the
better of our country,” he said.
The
call for sport sponsorship was also echoed through Dr. Coventry’s speech when
she called for the need by sports
sectors to restore the trust that the corporate world used to have so
that more and more sponsorship can be channeled towards sport programmes. This,
she said, meant that good corporate governance and organizational management
systems must be put in place.
For his exploits, Sensei
Mashaya walked away RTGS$17 000 richer and was also given a dining table by Teachers
Furnishers.
His journey towards
this honour has been a tedious one for Sensei Mashaya. In April 2018, he was
appointed President of Zimbabwe Sport Nunchaku by World Nunchaku Association (WNA)
in Benoni, South Africa. Two months later, he won a gold medal to become
Kobudo World Champion in Barcelona Spain and became the first African to be
inducted into the Barcelona Hall of Honours. In September, he was again
honoured with the International Master of the Year Award and another accolade for
being the best participant at a Festival in Budva Montenegro.
As
if that was not enough, the First Zimbabwean Internationally Certified Bujinkan
Ninja was honoured once again in Venice, Italy in October 2018 with the Master
of the Year Award by Martial Arts Heroes Council and was on the same token
inducted into the First Edition of Martial Heroes Hall of Honours 2018. He was
honoured alongside popular actors and martial artists, Shihan Steven Seagal and
Sifu Donnie Yen.
In
Budva, the athlete had an opportunity of a lifetime to enter into training
seminars which lasted for nearly 10 days. After successfully
undergoing a Security Self-Defence Course, Mashaya was awarded a Diploma in International
Security Self-Defence Instructor for Police, Army and Security and other
security agents.
To add a cap in Bodyguard Security Credentials, Mashaya was
also trained in Bodyguard Security Tactics by the International Association of
Bodyguards and was awarded a Certificate of Representation, to be the representative
of the international organisation in Zimbabwe. He also entered a Ninjutsu Technical
Examination Test Exercise and was successfully graded to a first dan black
belt.
Sensei Mashaya is now a holder of First Dan
Black Belt in Bujinkan Ninjutsu, Second Dan Black Belt in Kyokushin Karate,
Master Degree Second Dan Black Belt in Kobudo and Fourth Degree Black Belt in
Self Defense.
Sensei
Mashaya is the Current Branch Chief and Ambassador of Zimbabwe Kobudo Martial
Arts, Chief Instructor of Zimbabwe Bujinkan Ninjitsu and President of Zimbabwe
Sport Nunchaku.
This year, many
tournaments are lined up for him in Russia and Poland and he is intending to honour
their invitations and conquer once more.
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