Water polo star makes waves
RANDBURG – St Stithians learner and Tridents Aquatics Club swimmer Shakira January has competed in various overseas water polo tournaments.
A young water polo star has been making waves in her sport bringing home a multitude of medals from various overseas tournaments.
St Stithians learner and Tridents Aquatics Club swimmer Shakira January represented the Gauteng water polo team in a national tournament in December last year, coming home with gold.
In March this year, the youngster was part of the U17 National water polo team selected to play in the Czech Republic and they bagged a silver medal.
Most recently, she represented South Africa in the U20 Fina world champs held in Funchal, Portugal in September.
Commenting on how it felt to compete overseas Shakira said, “It was amazing and a real privilege to participate in these tournaments as a South African ambassador.
“I like the level of aggression needed to excel in water polo. You need to be tough-minded and very committed to the sport. It’s a combination of swimming, basketball, rugby and football which is quite physically and mentally demanding.
“I draw a lot of inspiration from my coach Claire White. She also represented South Africa in water polo so she knows exactly what is required to succeed at that level.”
Proud mum Kashefah Agherdien said, “Shakira only learnt to swim late in Grade 7, so in a small number of years, she has made enormous progress. She wants to inspire other kids to let them know that you can learn swimming skills at any age, especially water polo.”
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