Judo world at young Jasmine’s feet
The Elite Athlete Development Programme has seen her judo come on promisingly since she became part of the KZN Department of Sport and Recreation programme.
FIFTEEN-year-old Jasmine Martin is taking the national and international judo stage by storm and has her sights firmly set on a Commonwealth Judo Championships gold medal this year as part of her greater Olympic dreams.
The Werda Skool pupil has had judo in her blood from a young age and following her early upbringing in Brazil, the Queensburgh resident is hoping that the standard of judo can improve in South Africa and compete with the top nations in the world.
“Judo in Brazil is very big and so I got into it when I was six years old,” Martin said. “People start taking part when they are very young which gives them an advantage over some of the other countries where the sport is not as popular. The standard in South Africa is improving but we are still quite a long way behind countries like Japan, Korea,
Brazil, France and Russia,” she added.
Martin has an impressive record. She is currently both the U18 and U21 women’s national champion and dominated at the national championships earlier in the year which achieved her double Protea colours.
“I made the national team following the South African championships, however, without a sponsor I was unable to go which was disappointing. Besides, I just want to keep working really hard at my judo so that I can continue to do well to achieve the goals that I have set for myself,” a focused Martin said.
The Elite Athlete Development Programme participant has seen her judo come on promisingly since she became part of the KZN Department of Sport and Recreation programme and she hopes that she can continue this growth as she eyes out some of the world’s biggest events in the future.
“Brazil’s judo was strong, however being part of the Elite Athlete Development Programme has given me the support that I need and I have seen how much I have improved in my time with the people at Prime. Mondli is incredible and helps me become stronger and better. My judo skills have not only improved – I have become a lot stronger,” she explained.
With the help of the team at Prime Human Performance Institute, Martin has set her sights on claiming medals at the world’s biggest events, starting next month.
“I want to win gold in the Commonwealth Judo champs in Port Elizabeth in April and gold in the African Champs this year. The future goals are a medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo but also to be able to give my parents a gold medal in their home town at the Commonwealth Games in 2022 is one of my biggest aims,” Martin explained.
