This teenager made her community of Lavender Hill proud when she bagged a medal at an international table tennis tournament recently.
Rochica Sonday, 15, won a bronze medal at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Youth Championships in Botswana last month, becoming the first South African player to win a medal in the under-19 category at the tournament.
Rochica started playing table tennis at the age of nine and is part of the South African National Table Tennis junior and senior teams.
The seasoned player has travelled abroad to countries such as Morocco, Angola, Tunisia and Egypt.
Speaking about her bronze, she says: “I am very happy, it is a big achievement for me because it is tough to compete against African countries.
“I am happy to at least have won a medal, but I hope next year will be gold at the ITTF.
“I enjoy playing table tennis, it takes my mind off everything.
“I have been winning in my country against other players, but my goal for this year is to be the women's national champion which I will work hard towards achieving.”
Rochica is a Grade 10 learner at Lavender Hill High School and is also a member of the Duinefontein Table Tennis Club in Grassy Park.
She is now looking forward to her next competition. She is part of 11 athletes who have been selected to compete in Johannesburg at the national championships next month.
Founder and chairperson of the Duinefontein Table Tennis Club, Wafeeq Domingo says Rochica is an excellent player.
Wafeeq says: “Rochica is the golden girl, she wins the competitions easily and wins everybody in her age group and even the age groups above her.”
He adds that each player must raise R8000 to be able to attend the championships taking from 22-29 September.
He explains: “It is quite a headache, people have been kind enough to donate but we are still a long way off.
“I am trying to reach out to as many people to try and get donations but hopefully we will get there.
“I am always optimistic but our children come from underprivileged backgrounds and communities and for these children this is the one trip they look forward to every year so it will be very difficult if I tell them they can’t go.”
Anyone who would like to donate can contact 073 909 1978 or email [email protected]