Asande Mahaye, an athlete in the making

Asande Mahaye is a squash player with a natural aptitude on the court.

The 11-year-old Asande started playing squash he was nine years old.

During the past two years, he has been honing his skills, and was selected to participate in the KwaZulu-Natal trials held in Durban during the month of May.

He secured a spot in the KZN team for U/11, which was an incredible feat considering it had been the first time he had played squash at a competitive level.

“Asande has a lot of talent. Since I have started coaching him, he went to the KZN trials in Durban. He also represented KZN during matches held in March and recently he went to Pretoria for inter provincial matches,” said Faisel Shaik, Asande’s coach.

Making headway in the squash world, Asande said he had a deep-seated love for the sport.

“I enjoy the running around, making new friends, going to different places and enjoying new experiences,” he said.

Mr Shaik and Asande thank sponsors who made Asande’s trips possible.

“If it were not for them, Asande would not be able to have participated,” Mr Shaik concluded.