Sunningdale granny brings home gold from Judo championships
Desiree Jack won gold for the country after triumphing at the Commonwealth Judo Championships held in Gqeberha in August.
IT would be fair to say that Sunningdale resident Desiree Jack wears many hats in the sport of judo.
Not only is she a fifth-dan black belt in judo, she is also a national and provincial champ, an international judo official, senior judo grading master in KwaZulu-Natal and a sensei.
She is also a gold medalist for the country after triumphing at the Commonwealth Judo Championships held in Gqeberha in August.
The 63-year-old grandmother, who fights in the open-weight category and 60+ age category, also known as F7, had to fight someone 20 years younger in order to win the medal for the country.
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Jack, who runs Nintai Martial Arts Academy, has represented South Africa on several occasions, and in many ways, her family have become synonymous with the sport.
Both her sons, Duncan and Jared, have represented the country and are still involved in the sport.
Her recent gold medal was the perfect way to cap off Women’s Month in a Judo career spanning two decades.
“I’m so pleased with my gold medal at the Commonwealth Judo Championships. I last won a gold medal in Mauritius in 2008 and followed that up with a bronze in 2016. The lady I fought to win the medal was in the 40–45 age category. She was my nearest competitor because I was in the oldest age group. It was either a case of fighting nobody and getting nothing or taking on someone 20 years my junior to win.
“It was quite a challenging tournament but ultimately one I’m very proud of. Being able to represent my country is such an honour. It also gives you that responsibility knowing you aren’t just an individual at the competition; you are representing South Africa. I also feel all these competitions definitely benefit you as an athlete. I’ve always maintained that the more people you fight, the better you become. Every athlete brings something different to the table – because of the body dynamics, you get to adopt a different strategy to take your opponent to the mat,” she said.
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Jack also shared where her Judo journey started more than 20 years ago in Glenashley.
“My sons started doing Judo at school in Grade One. I would often take them to practice, and I remember sitting through one of the sessions and thinking I’d love to do something but I don’t have any time. A parent then suggested we join the class – we don’t have to throw or do anything too strenuous, but instead, we can do the groundwork. I thought, ‘Why not?’ as I was there anyway. That was the start of something special.
“Five of us moms started, and I just instantly fell in love with the sport. I ended up being the only one of the moms to continue on. It gave me something I could share with my sons and just improved every facet of my life. Since then, we’ve shared national and international stages as well as medals. I had the opportunity to compete with my son in Kata at the SA Champs and win gold. It has all been so special,” she said.
Jack said her hope is to grow the sport in north Durban and see more women get involved in the sport.
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