Young lass has big karate dreams
The introvert teenager said she started the sport when she was only 11 years old.
Nomshado Princess Khanyile is kicking her way to the top in karate.
The 17-year-old Tembisa girl said her mother inspired her to shine in karate.
The introvert teenager said she started the sport when she was only 11 years old and she has been dedicated to the sport ever since.
“I was trained by my mother, Sensei Agrinette Khanyile, and I have already won a number of titles throughout my career as a karateka,” said Princess.
She said her mother believes in sports and invests a lot of her time in it.
Princess has travelled around the country, taking part in many tournaments, including the Jacob Zuma Matsushima Karate Cup Championships hosted in Durban in 2011.
“The sport makes me unique because I am a woman karateka in our township. Karate is rare sport here and it taught me self discipline more than anything,” said Princess.
She said the tournaments taught her to deal with loss when competing in a kumiti (sparring).
“I take the lesson I learn from losing a fight and improve while going forward,” she said.
“When one is winning in the ring, a lot of people will cheer. But when one is losing nobody cheers and that is where the lesson is,” said Princess.
When asked what her future plans are, the junior instructor said she wants to see herself becoming a Kanchu, which is the highest rank in instructor hierarchy.
“I want to have my own karate organisation and get government to inject more funds into the sport,” she said.
She said she wants to groom more young people and make them understand that one can carve a career out of sport.
“Sport has the enormous potential of growing our county’s economy,” she said.
She would also like to star in a martial arts film.
“Young people who get involved in sport get the opportunity to travel. Sport benefits them physically and mentally. They can be kept busy and away from crime.
“Sport has no gender, it’s just that girls in eKasi are not interested,” she said.
