Wheels of victory

She is fresh from yet another accolade, but Gauteng Disabled Sportswoman of the Year, Kgothatso Montjane’s ambition has not been sated. Although qualifying for the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing was the highlight of her career to date, she says her biggest goal is to qualify for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro and to perform “with merit”.

“I knew nothing about the sport [in 2008]… I didn’t have any ambitions,” she said at UJ tennis courts, where she trains with fellow award-winners, Coach of the Year, Holger Losch and Disabled Sportsman of the Year, Lucas Sithole.

All three are members of Kyalami-based Wheelchair Tennis South Africa (WTSA), which not only supports international stars, but provides opportunities for disabled people across South Africa through social and competitive programmes in partnership with Airports Company South Africa.

Montjane was competing in Europe and did not attend the 2014 Gauteng Sports Awards, which was held at the Teatro, Montecasino, on 11 July. But she is positive about the role that such awards play in motivating and encouraging aspiring athletes.

“Recognition is the best thing you can get as an athlete,” said Montjane, for whom this year’s prize is the latest of many, including Gauteng Disabled Sportswoman of the Year in 2013, and two SA Sportswoman of the Year with a Disability awards.

Glittering accolades are only part of Montjane’s dazzling success story. She came to professional tennis in 2005, relatively late in life, but has been the number-one ranked woman in South African wheelchair tennis for the last six years, and is currently ranked number eight in the world.

Montjane is keenly aware of her responsibilities as a role model. “As a person, you need to carry yourself humbly, you need to treat other people with respect, and you need to be disciplined,” she said.

On a personal level, however, what she enjoys most about the sport is the challenge, said Montjane, adding, “You need to give it your best because nothing comes easily.”