Multi-talented Pillay caps year with award
PIETERMARITZBURG-BASED Hilal Pillay is a multi-skilled sportsman with the temperament and determination to make the most of his talents.
The 21-year-old was named University of KwaZulu-Natal Sportsman of the Year at a recently held awards evening.
He enjoyed a stellar season where he won gold with the South African table tennis team at the Confederation of University and College Sports Association Games in Zimbabwe.
Along with teammate Nikheel Jungbahadur, he also claimed first at the 2015 South African Local Government Association Games in KwaDukuza.
And there’s more. He was a key member of the UKZN Pietermarizburg Cricket Club that managed to win the Premier League after a few luckless years. “I was really proud when I won the award,” Pillay beamed. “After a challenging and enjoyable year it was an honour.”
Pillay managed to achieve all this while still keeping up with his studies. The third-year BCom accounting student has mastered the art of juggling his weekly programme to fit in all his commitments.
“Studying accounting and playing sport is tough, but table tennis is a great stress reliever,” he says. “Everyone has their way of dealing with stress. I just like playing sport. I had a good year playing table tennis and it was special to be a part of the university cricket team.”
Pillay says earning his first national cap in Zimbabwe was one of the highlights of his year. Along with fellow Pietermaritzburg residents, Preshen Naidoo and Sarah-Lee Gobindlall, the team dominated the likes of Botswana, Zambia and the hosts.
“I learnt a lot during that tournament,” he said. “One of the most important things was the value of teamwork and support.”
Next year he will go for honours with a view to qualifying as a chartered accountant. “It is going to be tough, but I am always willing to put in the hard work and sacrifices.”
After experiencing an international tournament for the first time, Pillay will be going all out to qualify for the team that will compete in the 2017 World Student Games.
“The competition is taking place in Taipei and I’d love to be there,” he said. “I plan to continue playing and training hard. Hopefully there is enough funding for us to get a team (to the Games).”