Jess is reaching for new heights
The Our Lady of Fatima teacher has set her sights on making this year's SA squad for the Fast5 tournament as well as next year's Netball World Cup.
DURBAN North athlete and teacher, Jessica Khomo, has set her sights on making this year’s SA squad for the Fast5 tournament as well as the 2019 Netball World Cup. The Our Lady of Fatima teacher recently represented the country at the Fast5 World Series in Melbourne. The team, which finished fifth, played against Australia, New Zealand, England, Jamaica and Malawi.
What made Khomo’s selection that much more remarkable was she had been away from the sport for almost two years. The 26-year-old said the world series tournament offered her valuable insight into her game.
“My goal when I came back was to be relevant and make the Protea squad. I had represented South Africa at an U19 and U21 level before but I’d never had a senior call-up. It was awesome being able to represent my country and be part of the Fast5 tournament, which is the like the 7s of the netball world. As a team we were disappointed to finish fifth but what I took away from it was it offered me vital exposure on where I measure on an international page. Being able to rub shoulders with players I look up to was fantastic.
“This year I’m striving to achieve a number of goals and one of them is to be selected for the team for the next tournament and then beyond that the world cup in Liverpool in 2019. I’m managing my workload better than I did when I took a break from the competitive level. I’m going to continue to work hard at developing my game and hopefully that will pay dividends,” she said.
Khomo, who was the only KZN representative at the tournament, plays for Kingdom Stars netball club in Durban.
She is also involved with an outreach programme at the Briardene Informal Settlement.
“I help with the Briardene Youth Centre (BYC) where I do coaching clinics with the young girls. It’s a way to give back to the community and help develop the young talents. I’m also in the process of starting a formal club in Umgababa where I was born and raised,” she said.
