PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Representing one's country is the dream of most successful sportsmen and -women and going on to clinch a world title is only achieved by a few, yet Plett's "Italian Ninja", Galliano Boni, has won 14 at the tender age of 12.
This has ensured that he has now become the youngest ever recipient of Protea colours for martial arts.
"That is being at the pinnacle in his sport – 14 times already," Bitou Mayor Dave Swart said as he handed over the young Greenwood Bay College learner's Protea blazer to him at an event in his honour on Saturday 12 November.
Galliano was inspired by his older brother, Aligi, and with the encouragement of sensei Elrie Bosman, started competing at the age of four.
Since then the youngster has won a whopping 231 medals. Galliano won his first international gold medal in 2016 at age six and after amassing great success this year, he now has 195 gold, 20 silver and 16 bronze medals under his belt.
Mayoral praise
Swart quipped that he wore his mayoral chain to show that he too had a medal. "The difference is that I need to give this one back in four years and Galliano gets to keep his," Swart said at the event hosted by Ristorante Enrico.
He not only praised Galliano for his achievements, but also the perseverance he had shown.
"So much is his passion, that during the Covid-19 pandemic, he trained remotely online with some of the best coaches around the world." Furthermore, Swart added, these accomplishments are likely just the beginning.
"He is now only 12 years old with his whole adult career ahead of him. What he has achieved takes a lot of discipline, sacrifice, determination and passion for his sport. If he can keep this enthusiasm that he has, the sky is the limit for what he can achieve in his sport."
Swart said what was even more remarkable, was that his academic studies were not suffering. "He is an achiever and excels in his studies at school and has recently won a scholarship to start his high school career in 2023 at St Andrews College in Grahamstown."
Galliano Boni receives his Protea blazer and martial arts certificate from Bitou Mayor Dave Swart.
Ambassador
Swart highlighted that Galliano had, through his international competitions, brought much attention to Plettenberg Bay and had become one of the town's biggest sports ambassadors.
His achievements include representing South Africa at 10 world championships; 14 world titles; three grand champion trophies, and four South American and 36 South African titles.
He is also the first and only South African to win a grand champion trophy and the first South African to win the medal of the World Kobudo Championships, which he did in 2019, 2021 and 2022.
Among the attendees was the first person in Plettenberg Bay to receive Protea colours for the sport, Aiden Trahms. Aiden and Aligi started karate two weeks apart and they will both be grading for their senior black belt shortly, after 11 years in the sport.
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