A TEAM of four from Ballarat will leave Australia on Thursday bound for the Kyokushin Karate World Cup in South Africa.
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Fighters Shannyn Johnstone-Ward and Mohammad Rezaie will represent the green and gold in the championships, while Ballarat sensei Steve Hardy is national coach and wife Monica a team manager.
Hardy said both Johnstone-Ward and Rezaie were Australia's best chances of success among a team of 12 competitors.
"I can't imagine them not going very well, but you never know," Hardy said.
"Our biggest competition will be the professional fighters from Russia, Kazakhstan and the Europeans. They are really dangerous because they pretty well do karate full time."
Rezaie has overcome a recent broken arm to take part in his first world cup .
The Kyokushin Karate World Cup is held in Durban on Saturday and Sunday.
