When Jade Sasman came back to the sport of table tennis after a break of eight years, she came back with a mission.
Her mission was to be better than she was as a junior.
And last week she proved just how good she can be when she was crowned Africa’s Region 5 Table Tennis in Botswana.
TygerBurger spoke to her while she was still in Botswana.
“I am still overwhelmed by me winning. Everything has not sunk in yet,” says Sasman.
Sasman says the competition was stiff, but as soon as she got into her rythm everything clicked.
“I just kept telling myself to take it one game at a time. I didn’t worry about the next opponent, only the current one,” says Sasman.
Comeback
Sasman did not compete for eight years and made a comeback last year.
“My goals was to conquer Africa again and now I have achieved it. I can now look forward to the future,” she says.
Local ward councillor, Angus McKenzie, congratulated Sasman on her victory.
“As a community, we are so proud of her. She has once again shown us that anything is indeed possible irrespective of where you come from.
“She laid a foundation for hundreds and thousands of young people to know that making better choices sits with them and that determination, courage, and commitment live in all of us,” says McKenzie.
On social meda congratulations are still streaming in. Jerome Samuels wrote: “Jade, done her community, proud through her awesome achievement. She is also the South African Female Table Tennis title holder. You have once again shown that your area will not dictate who you will become, but it will decorously form part of who you will become.
“You made it possible for the youth to start dreaming again. Thank you.”
