MOUNT FRERE TALENT
Jump rope star set for Champs
The small town of Mount Frere will see its first athlete heading to the World Jump Rope Championship in Norway in July.
Christian Mkhonto, 15, a Grade 10 pupil St Georges Senior Secondary School, came in second position in the speed category of the rope skipping competition at the National Schools Summer Games that were recently held at the University of the Johannesburg.
Mkhondo clocked 85 counts in 30 seconds, making her one of the fastest athletes in the competition which saw 636 boys and girls, including those living with disabilities, competing against other provinces.
The province competed incodes such as wheelchair basketball, soccer, goalball, Sevens rugby, cricket, volleyball and table tennis.
Another athlete that had a good run at the games was 15year-old Sbahle Ntanjana from Libode, who won a gold medal in aerobics.
Onawo Ntshingwa from Tolweni Primary School in Macwereni in Ntabankulu came in second place in aerobics as well, scooping his very first silver medal.
Two more athletes from St Georges Senior Secondary added to the medals – Siyabonga Jumbase won gold in the speed category in rope skipping, and Liyabona Mangona came second in the routine category in rope skipping.
“Mkhonto has qualified to go to the World Championships in Norway next July.
“She has been working very hard for this and we are happy that she is the first athlete from this region to compete at the world stage, and we know she will do us proud and put this area on the rope skipping map, we feel she can do it,” said Eastern Cape team manager, Nomazwe Goqa.
“Other children have been motivated by her achievement because they can see they can also go abroad because of rope skipping.”
Goqa said although they came back home with accolades, more needed to be done when preparing athletes for national tournaments.
“Our athletes need to be thoroughly prepared, because if we didn’t train these athletes properly I don’t think they would have been able to perform that good.
“And I think the rope skipping hub that we have recently designed after getting equipment from the National Lottery helped us very much in training the athletes to be of a higher standard.
According to provincial department of sports, recreation, arts and culture (DSRAC) spokesperson, Andile Nduna, these games were a multisports competition that were aimed at promoting school sport among learners within the school environment at the national level.
“The championships aim to increase the pool of talented athletes and act as a feeder to the national teams, thereby increasing the chances of international success and competition.
“These games also increase the opportunity for learners from all schools to participate in organised sporting events which will broaden the base for talent selection,” said Nduna.
He said the selection of these athletes was conducted from schools through inter-school competitions, circuit competition eliminations, districts, up to provincial competition.
She has been working very hard for this and we are happy