Local man jumping with joy
International medal for Hani
Long jump athlete Nikithemba Hani made Chris Hani District proud after returning with a long jump silver medal from the Confederation of University and Colleges Sports Associations (Cucsa) games in Lilongwe, Malawi this past week.
Hani, from Komani, secured silver with a distance of 7.55m, falling short of receiving a gold medal by only 2cm. He also exceeded his previous personal best of 7.49m. Out of the six jumps he made, five were valid and one was considered a foul.
The first line-up consisted of fifteen athletes, but only eight of them were able to go through to the final round. The countries copmpeting were SA, Botswana, Zambia, Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Swaziland.
Right after his off-season break, Hani said he had spent time at the gym with less than a month to prepare for the games.
His love for long jump began in grade 9 at Tarkastad High School. It continued when he moved to Queen’s College in grade 10 and to Varsity College where he is studying for his bachelor in education in Gqeberha.
Reacting to his triumph, he
said: “It feels great because not anyone can just stand on a podium on an international stage. Competing at that level is a huge achievement and having a medal gives me great happiness as it is not just any medal but an international [one]. I am proud of myself.
“I had a rough season at the beginning of the year and to close it on a high is such a blessing.
“It has triggered me massively, I am hungry for more. I have never competed in any international competition. This was the first of many.”
On the day of the event he said the weather being on his side had contributed to events running smoothly.
He believes the Cucsa games serve as a building block and the beginning of an athlete’s professional career as most great SA athletes flourished from there.
Hani is currently working on attaining 7.70m, but the greater goal is to achieve an 8m jump.
His next mission is to work to qualify for the World Student Games next year in China, which he plans to qualify for by competing in SA competitions.
“I would like to thank my family, my coach Jenny Kingwill for getting me in shape in such a short period of time, the Eastern Cape Academy of Sport for assisting me in every possible way and making sure I perform at my utmost, and Varsity College. I will strive by all means to keep them proud,” said Hani.