South African Wheelchair Tennis star Kgothatso Montjane is hoping to bow out at this year’s Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan with a medal.
She was part of SA team at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics in China, 2012 London Paralympics in Great Britain and 2016 Rio Paralympics in Brazil. She was unable to win any medal at those three events.
In 2018, she became the first black South African woman to compete in Wimbledon. In the same year, she also competed at the US Open and became the first African wheelchair tennis player to qualify for all four Grand Slam tournaments in the same year.
Montjane says the preparations for the Paralympics are going well.
She is currently placed in the top 10 of the ITF (International Tennis Federation) ranking. Her highest ranking was fifth in the world in 2005.
She was also named SA’s disabled sportswoman of the year three times in 2005, 2011 and 2015. The 33-year-old says the programme leading to the games will not change.
Montjane is finally getting the recognition she deserves after many years of neglect by the sponsors. She says recognition is not important. She also added that she is nurturing aspiring young players.
– Report by Vincent Sitsula
