Jasmine wins gold in Angola
The Malvern teen along with six others are representing the country in Luanda, Angola.
LOCAL judo star, Jasmine Martin, was hailed as an impressive fighter at this year’s African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Games on Saturday, 10 December. Jasmine, along with six others are representing the country in Luanda, Angola.
According to the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), Martin was the team’s first female medal winner of the day, bagging a gold medal in the 57kg division. She beat Mozambique’s Natalia Taju in the final, winning with an o-goshi ippon throw just a minute into the bout. The 16-year-old Malvern resident was completely at home language-wise in Luanda.
“I’ve spent most of my life in Brazil and have only been in South Africa for about a year. I’m getting used to all the different food and cultures. I’m really, really happy to have won the first gold by a South African woman here, but you can be sure I won’t let this go to my head and won’t lose focus. I’m done for the year now and then will focus on trials for nationals next year. I must also thank my coach, Johan Duckworth for all his help,” she said.
