At 13 years old, Peyton Blaze Soobramany is already making her mark in the world of karate and proudly flying the South African flag on the international stage.

Peyton recently added another gold medal to her growing collection when she won gold at the KSA League One Championship in Port Elizabeth this past weekend.

Her latest victory comes after another impressive gold-medal performance at the KSA Open Elite Championship.

She is the national champion and has represented South Africa with distinction at both national and international competitions. Following her latest success, she will now be nominated to represent South Africa at the Commonwealth Karate Championships in Scotland in November.

For Peyton, winning is rewarding, but it is the hard work behind each achievement that makes her victories special.

“It felt really amazing. I was so happy and proud because I knew how much work I had put into my training,” she said. “Winning Gold is always special, especially when you have worked hard and had to push yourself to get there.”

A passion that started by chance

Peyton’s karate journey began when she was just nine years old. Her parents enrolled her younger brother in karate and asked her to join him for moral support. Her brother eventually stopped, but Peyton stayed. “I fell in love with karate, and here I am,” she expressed.

Since then, her passion for the sport has taken her from local competitions to international events. One of her proudest moments came in February when she travelled to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, where she won her first-round match 8-0 against a Filipino competitor.

Another major milestone was receiving her Protea colours. “Representing my country has always been a dream of mine and wearing the South African colours makes me feel really proud,” Peyton shared.

Make time matter

Behind the medals and trophies is a teenager who enjoys many of the same things as other young people her age. Outside karate, Peyton enjoys spending time with her family and friends, horse riding and relaxing after a busy week of training.

Balancing school with karate is not always easy, particularly before major competitions, but Peyton has learnt to stay organised and make time for the people who matter to her.

“Sometimes it can be difficult because karate takes up a lot of my time, especially before competitions, but I just try my best to stay organised and get my schoolwork done.”

Like any athlete, Peyton has also experienced disappointment. She says learning how to deal with losing has been one of the biggest challenges in her karate journey.

“Nobody likes losing, especially when you’ve trained really hard,” she added. “I’ve learnt that losing doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Sometimes you learn more from losing than winning.”

Instead of allowing setbacks to discourage her, Peyton uses them as motivation to improve. “I try to learn from my mistakes, train harder and come back stronger,” she said.

Dreaming of world champion glory

Peyton’s family and sensei have played an important role in helping her stay focused. Their support, together with her own determination, keeps her moving towards her goals.

“When training gets difficult, I think about my dreams and remind myself why I’m doing it,” she highlighted.

Now, her attention turns to Scotland and the Commonwealth Karate Championships. Peyton says she is excited and honoured by the opportunity to compete against athletes from other countries.

“I’m really looking forward to competing against athletes from other countries and testing myself against some of the best. I’m also excited to experience Scotland and hopefully bring home a medal for South Africa.”

Her message to other young people with big dreams is to believe in yourself and do not give up.

“You might be scared and things might not always be easy, but you should never give up on something you really want,” said the young champion.

“If you work hard and believe in yourself, you can achieve more than you think.”

Peyton is not stopping here. Her biggest goal is to continue competing internationally and, one day, become a world champion. For this young South African champion, the journey has only just begun.