UJ student wins silver
A University of Johannesburg student won a silver medal in rowing at the Student World Games in Russia held from 1 to 17 July.
Kate Christowits was one of four South African women representing University Sports of South Africa (USSA).
Christowits said her build was average compared to most of the competitors. “The sport requires one to be slim, tall, light and very strong,” said the 22-year-old BA Sports Psychology student.
According to Christowits, the delivery of her team’s oars was delayed – they received them a night before the final. This was a challenge because there wasn’t sufficient time for the team to familiarise themselves with the oars. “But we believed that we could do well,” said Christowits.
“It was a 2km race and at the start line when the buzzer went off I was stressed. I knew that the Russians would be extremely fast at the rate they were scooping medals, but we overtook Ukraine to get the silver,” she said. In rowing, one has to train two to three times a day from Monday to Sunday. “You sacrifice your social life and you have to find a balance between family, university, friends and training. If I get assignments, I have to do them right away but my department has been very lenient when there are issues regarding an exam or test dates,” explained Christowits.
The young athlete turned down two American scholarships in 2009, as she believes that she doesn’t have to leave the country to excel in sport. “I love South Africa, and my ultimate goal is to be part of the first women’s SA crew to win a medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil,” she said.
