Cape Town - Hard work and determination paid off for badminton champ, Micheala Ohlson, after she received a silver medal at the Junior All Africa Championships in Mauritius.
The 18-year-old matric learner, originally from Ocean View, had to do extensive fundraising last year, after her talent landed her a spot on the South African team to compete at the All Africa under-19 tournament last month.
She is one of four children, and moved in with her aunt in Lavender Hill after a court order when she lost both her grandmother and her mother within months of each other – a tragedy that she is still learning to live with.
In a positive turn following a tough final against opponents from Uganda, along with Tamsyn Smith, they took second place in the ladies doubles, bagging a silver medal and trophy.
“I am extremely proud of myself for making it to the finals. It took a lot of hard work, sweat and effort to get into the finals.
“My goal was at the very first moment I reached the tournament, to at least get into the finals, but it was difficult to keep my head up high because obviously you knew there were a lot of other players also wanting to get to the finals.
“So knowing that, I knew I had to beat all of them to get into the finals,” she said.
“Our opponents were two girls from Uganda, they were very good. The fact that we played two games against them, showed me we are very good and we are capable of playing against the best players in South Africa.”
Badminton Ocean View added: “The ladies lost in the final, but we couldn't be prouder of our girl, Michaela.
“Thank you to everyone who supported her through donations, kind words of encouragement and even just thinking of her as she represents us so well.
Michaela’s determination just proves that no matter what your circumstance, you can do whatever you set your mind to doing.”
In the singles, Ohlson unfortunately was beaten in the quarter final.
The team were in Mauritius for about 10 days.
“For me it was a very good experience to feel what it’s like to play against players that are on your level.
“There were no off days, only one day we went for air badminton on the beach and that was very nice. I learned a lot of skills and techniques that I had not seen before.”
This year, however, Ohlson said she would be focused on her school work, which she feels will clash with her badminton schedule, and return to the sport next year.
Cape Times