Table tennis protégé forges ahead to Fiji
WITH a devastating forehand and impressive backhand, Kiara Naidoo’s offensive approach to table tennis is a marvel to watch.
The 13-year-old is sharp around the table and has a defensive game that leaves competitors spellbound.
She began playing table tennis three years ago, and never imagined her career would reach international status in such a short period.
Kiara, from Pietermaritzburg, was selected for the African team for the International Tabletennis Federation World Cadet Challenge, to be hosted in Fiji in October.
The Nyolo Table Tennis Academy player finished eighth at the African Junior and Cadet Championships in Tunisia earlier this year to seal a spot on the team.
It was an incredible showing from Naidoo, who made her international debut in Tunisia and was crowned national champion in her age group last year. She is the only South African on the team who will travel to Fiji.
“Making the Africa team is a huge achievement for me and I’m really excited about Fiji,” Naidoo said.
Her trip to Tunisia was an “eye opener”, but Kiara understands she will have to step up to compete at the inter-continental tournament.
“At the African Championships I learnt that I am strong enough to fight until the very last point, to persevere and never give up,” Kiara said.
With a few weeks to go before the trip, Kiara’s training has been intensified by her coach Simon Golologo. “I now train for about 20 hours a week with my coach,” she said. “I was recently placed on an Elite Athlete Development Programme, so I’m hoping to use that to my advantage and improve my game.”
Golologo, an ITTF Level II coach, said: “Kiara has the desire from within to do well. She has natural talent and a great work ethic. She is looking very sharp in training. In fact, she almost took me out. We can see that her mind is working.”
The former national team coach admitted there were technical aspects of her game to improve but he was confident of getting it right.