Wanda Trevor Mvundla from Boboyi is a dedicated athlete who has been active in various sports and fitness disciplines from a young age.
He recently won a gold medal in the SA Weightlifting Senior Championship, 67kg male category, which was held at the Boksruin Community Centre.
One day, Mvundla hopes to compete in the Olympics. He has already achieved a lot, having competed in the Strongman Push and Pull competition and winning the Heaviest Deadlift.
He also placed first at CrossFit Zulu and CrossFit Wild Coast, and at provincials where he placed first and holds the title of KZN champ.
“I am now working towards competing in the African Championships which will be held in Tunisia in May next year. With hard work, I can achieve that goal. My secret weapon is consistency, it is key in any athletic endeavour, you show up, work hard and push your limits every day, “he added.
Mvundla is also a gym instructor and coach for high-intensity, functional fitness at the Marburg Community Gym, an outreach gym for the Genesis Trust.
He said he has always enjoyed martial arts. “When I trained, I lifted rocks and logs on the sports field and people would ask to join my training. That is how I developed my coaching skills. I also taught karate basics and physical training in my community,” said Mvundla.
He was introduced to Genesis Community Gym in 2018 and paid a daily fee of R20 as he couldn’t afford the monthly fee at the time.
“After my training, I would attend Youth Service at Norwegian Settlers Church where I was introduced to CrossFit. I fell in love with it and learned a lot about weightlifting from my coach Helen Stubbs,” he added.
In 2020, Mvundla challenged himself and started competing in local CrossFit competitions where he realised his potential. Two years later, he decided to focus on weightlifting and improving his strength.
“Prayer is a powerful tool and it has brought me to where I am. I couldn’t afford supplements, but that didn’t stop me from doing my best and pushing for more on my journey. God brought amazing people into my life and they have supported and helped me with what they could by donating money towards my trips, joining fees and buying supplements.”
Mvundla thanked his current coach Alex Yannikakis from the Wild Coast Weightlifting Club for always believing in him and getting him to go the extra mile.
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