Judo star aims high

DURBAN-BASED para-judoka Smisokhule Mntungwa is using every opportunity that he has been given by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sport and Recreation backed Elite Athlete Development Programme (EADP) to better his judo skills and meet his goal of competing internationally in the near future.

The young man, who has to deal with the challenges of albinism, got involved in the sport of judo a number of years ago and it was out of curiosity that his passion for the sport grew when he took it up at school.

“Judo was a sport that was offered at my school in Inchanga so I decided to take it up. With me living quite a long way from school it was difficult for me to train as well as compete during the weekends but I became really passionate about judo and wanted to continue with it,” Mntungwa said.

It has not been an easy road for the 20-year-old athlete who has had a number of challenges to overcome on his quest to becoming a judo star however with the help of an influential coach as well as the assistance that the EADP and the Department of Sport and Recreation have given him, the young man is as motivated as ever to take his career to new heights.

“There was a stage when I just was not getting any support from anyone besides my coach Rob Jordaan. I was winning my fights and was doing well but I wasn’t being recognised and I got to a stage where I nearly gave up! I want to thank the Department of Sport and Recreation and the EADP for giving me guidance; they have been phenomenal! It is great having such positive and encouraging assistance and I can now see where I am going which has given me added motivation to do better. I have seen a big improvement and I want to really take my judo to the next level,” a motivated Mntungwa added.

Mntungwa proved himself at the recent South African Judo Championships when he won gold in his para-judo category and with this he feels he is well on his way to getting to the level where he can compete against judoka’s from around the world.

“I have never been to an international competition as previously I was not ready to go. With the help of the EADP I think that I am getting there though and that is definitely the next step for me; I want to get out there and test myself against other fighters! I have been to national championships a few times so now it is a case of wanting to see where I stand on an international stage. I want other people to see where I stand because that sort of exposure is something that will also really help me attract support if I do well,” he mentioned.

Since he joined the EADP, Mntungwa has become a regular at training and has looked up to para-athlete Tyrone Pillay who has represented South Africa in shot put and discus as the youngster draws some parallels between himself and his new-found mentor.

“Tyrone is definitely a person who gives me motivation and I really appreciate that. He told me that he came from nowhere and I feel that I am also in that position so he keeps encouraging me to do better. I train with him and he offers me advice on how to get better but he also offers me advice away from training and he is influential in helping me realise that the Paralympics could be my ultimate goal! However you have to start somewhere!” an enthusiastic Mntungwa concluded as he continues to build towards his future international debut.