Israel Chikala, a 13-year-old learner from Nkwanca High School in Komani came home with a gold medal at this year’s South African National Indoor Rowing Championships that were held at Rustenburg Civic Centre in Rustenburg, North West Province.
The grade 8 learner was victorious in the u/14 section in the national championships.
Chikala achieving gold this year at the national championships, and many other great results from the Komani region, continues to demonstrate the success of indoor rowing programmes, with many of the learners trying the sport for the first time when they joined a few years ago.
There were 20 learners from three different schools in Komani that participated in the national championships in Rustenburg.
Nkwanca High School had 13 learners participating in the event, Lingelihle High School from Ilinge Township was represented by five learners while Maria Louw High School had two learners in the group.
In a statement that was released, Nkwanca Indoor Rowing Coach Viwe Zikalala said the school is proud of Chikala’s achievement.
“Everyone at Nkwanca High School is extremely proud of Israel who has showcased determination, dedication, and resilience to achieve great success at national stage. We have created a great bond with other schools Lingelihle and Maria Louw over the years. We were all happy in Rustenburg because if one win, everyone has won,” said Zikalala.
Indoor rowing is a concept that was introduced in 2007 to drive Rowing Development in South Africa.
The project is focused on previously disadvantaged areas throughout all nine South African Provinces.
The focus is not only on the schools that run the programme but involves the parents and the community at large to ensure sustainability of the programme by introducing it to all community members as it is not limited by access to rowable water.
