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After joining to support her son, Meintjies found her calling in arm-wrestling and now dreams of representing South Africa.
Arm-wrestling champion Natashja Meintjies. Picture: Supplied
A Pretoria grandmother went from being curious to becoming an arm-wrestling champion in a matter of months after winning her first competition.
Natashja Meintjies, 39, left in picture, from Waverley in Pretoria, began her arm-wrestling journey unexpectedly in 2023, when her son showed interest in the sport.
Meintjies competed in the Armdruk is Groot (Arm-wrestling is Big) competition over the weekend, against six other women.
Pretoria gran wins national arm-wrestling title
“It was a rough weekend. I won two matches and lost three. I looked at the video footage afterwards and saw what I should work on in preparation for the World Championships in Bulgaria in September.”
Meintjies, who has three children aged 23, 20 and seven and a grandchild of six months, said her dream was to represent South Africa on an international arm-wrestling stage.
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“My son asked me to join him and, wanting to support him, I decided to give it a try. We got in touch with a well-known club in Pretoria North called Valiant Arms and began training there once a week. I had no idea at the time how quickly this sport would become a major part of my life.”
Meintjies said about a month or two into training she entered her first competition – and to her surprise she came first. That win lit a fire in her and she was hooked.
“I quickly learned that arm-wrestling is far more than just raw strength or the kind of pub battles people joke about.
Sport built on technique, timing and discipline
“It’s a sport built on technique, timing, discipline and, yes, a great deal of strength.
“There are rules, set-ups and strategies that most people don’t see unless they’re on the table themselves,” she said.
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Meintjies said at first she only competed with her right hand because she didn’t think her left arm was strong enough.
But then she discovered that her left arm was “just as capable” and began competing with both.
In March 2023, Meintjies competed in a qualifier for the East vs West international competition held in Istanbul, Türkiye, where she took first place and, two months later, third place representing South Africa in Türkiye.
Meintjies began to support her son
Meintjies also competed in her first Arnold Classic that year and took first place in the right hand and third place in left hand.
Despite an injury last year, she returned and claimed first place with both arms.
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She also competed in the national competition in Paarl, Western Cape, where she repeated her SA first place right, and earned second in the left.
Now Meintjies is looking forward to competing in the World Championships in Bulgaria, alongside a team of top South African athletes.
She is approaching sponsors to help her make her dream to compete on an international stage come true.
Approaching sponsors
“This journey has gone far beyond what I expected – and it all began with a simple moment of saying yes to my son.
“I love this sport. It’s not just a competition for me any more – it’s a passion, a community and a constant push to become better than I was yesterday,” she said.
