Karate has taught Nataniah Naidu to be more confident and it has helped her to be aware of her strengths and weaknesses.
Nataniah, 17, who has a brown belt in karate, is a karateka of Ninfu ShitoRyu in Merebank. The dojo will turn 50 this year.
She was recently selected to represent South Africa as part of the Protea team for the UFAK Region South Championships in Swakopmund, Namibia.
Nataniah placed third in her division (kumite under 48kg) and the award ceremony for her to receive her protea colours will be on July 20.
"I started karate at a young age due to me being shy and bullied at school. My parents thought this sport would be instrumental in helping me. Karate is my passion and it has developed me into the person I am today; strong, confident and physically fit. I will continue my training to become better and hope to one day compete in the Olympics or the World Championship," said Nataniah.
She attends Merebank Secondary School and her favourite subjects are mathematics and life science. Nataniah is considering studying either architectural engineering or data science.
"Apart from karate, I enjoy singing, drawing and spending time with my family. I sometimes get a chance to showcase my voice at church. I'm grateful to my family, who has been my biggest support structure. My brother, Rylee, who is also a karateka and a KZN team athlete, is my number one supporter. He spends numerous hours training and assisting me."
Her dad, Greg, who runs a fire protection company, said he was a proud parent as he could see the culmination of all Nataniah's hard work paying off.
Her mum Keroshnie, who also attended Ninfu ShitoRyu in her younger days, said enrolling her kids in karate was the best decision.
"I'm super proud of Nataniah and can't wait to see what the future has in store for her. To Shihan Craig, Renshi Brando Pillay and Sensei Njabulo Mthembu, we salute your dedication and support towards building and uplifting the youth of the community. Thank you for mentoring, supporting, training and coaching our champ to achieve these accolades."
Shihan Craig Kisten Pillay, of the Ninfu ShitoRyu dojo, said although they have had numerous KZN and SA champions over the 50 years, Nataniah was only the second karateka and first female from the dojo to represent the country at an international event.
“All her friends and instructors at the dojo are proud of her achievements. We hope that she can continue to excel at these prestigious events that are sanctioned by the World Karate Federation. Various neighbouring African countries competed and the competition was extremely tough, but Nataniah was well prepared and managed to get the bronze medal after an intense battle. Although shy and soft spoken, Nataniah transforms into a warrior when she enters the ring and is a fearless fighter who has made us proud.”
Shihan Craig added that Nataniah was hard working, dedicated and had the discipline to excel at the highest level of karate.
"Like any athlete, she needs support and she is duly supported by her parents Greg and Keroshnie, who were both excellent athletes in their younger days."