Sports gave Nataniah the fuel for more self-confidence

NATANIAH Naidu (17), a brown belt karateka of Ninfu ShitoRyu, is celebrating an important milestone this year as the dojo celebrates its 50th anniversary.

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Recently Nataniah from Merebank was selected to represent South Africa as part of the Proteas team at the UFAK Region South Championships in Swakopmund, Namibia. During the competition she achieved an honourable third place in her division (Kumite under 48kg) and will receive her Protea Colours at the prize giving ceremony on 20th July.

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Reflecting on her journey, she said: “I started karate at a young age because I was shy and bullied at school. My parents believed that this sport would play a major role in helping me overcome these challenges. Karate has become my passion and has shaped me into the person I am today: strong, confident and physically fit. I will continue my training to better myself and aspire to one day compete in the Olympics or the World Championships.”

Nataniah expressed her gratitude to Shihan Craig and team Ninfu, saying, “All the advanced training and coaching has been vital to my journey.”

Nataniah, a student at Merebank Secondary School, enjoys maths and life sciences and is considering a future in engineering or data science.

Besides karate, she enjoys singing, drawing and spending time with her family. She occasionally shows her singing talent in church and is grateful for the unwavering support of her family.

“I am blessed to have my grandmother at every tournament and my brother Rylee, who is also a karateka and a KZN team athlete, is my biggest supporter. He spends countless hours training and helping me,” she said.

Her father Greg, who runs a fire protection company, was proud of Nataniah’s achievements and recognized the reward for her hard work.

Her mother, Keroshnie, who also trained with Ninfu ShitoRyu in her younger years, said, “Enrolling my children in karate was the best decision. I am incredibly proud of Nataniah and all of her accomplishments. She is a respectful, humble, and hardworking child, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for her.”

She also thanked Shihan Craig, Renshi Brando Pillay and Sensei Njabulo Mthembu for their dedication and support in educating the youth in the community.

Shihan Craig Kisten Pillay from the Ninfu ShitoRyu dojo said: “Over the past 50 years we have had countless champions from KZN and SA, but Nataniah is only the second karateka and the first woman from our dojo to represent the country at an international event.”

“All her friends and instructors in the dojo are proud of her achievements. We hope she continues to excel in these prestigious events sanctioned by the World Karate Federation. Despite the tough competition from several African countries, Nataniah was well prepared and won a bronze medal after an intense fight. Although she is shy and gentle, in the ring she transforms into a warrior and is a fearless fighter who made us all proud,” he said.

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