Marizelle Van Niekerk Aspires to Compete in World Tournaments

Marizelle Van Niekerk, a grade 12 student, represented the North West province admirably by being one of the karate players that took home a medal from the Indo Pacific Karate Cup competition that was held in Mauritius.

Her accomplishments include coming in third place in kumite at the 2018 Africa Cup and earning her first black belt. She got a gold medal in the kumite division, which she considers to be one of her best experiences.

Van Niekerk expands on her own background.

Marizelle, thank you for chatting to us. Please tell us about yourself and where you are from?

I grew up in Vryburg in the North West and I went to Bloemfontein in grade 8 and now in grade 12.

When and where did your love for sports begin?

Since I was little I looked up to my dad. He had 2 karate dojo’s and went to Japan on numerous occasions. He also performed well every year and won the fighting divisions in 2008 and so my love for karate grew.

Besides karate, what else do you do?

Besides karate I also do netball and darts.

You recently won gold medal at the Indo Pacific Karate Cup tournament.  Congratulations on your win. How did you feel after you won in the kumite category?

I couldn’t believe that I had won, but it was one of the best experience I had and it felt amazing. 

What inspired you to pursue karate?

My father was my inspiration to do karate and till this day still is. 

What do you consider to be your greatest strengths as a karate player?

The fighting division is my favourite to do in karate because that is the category that I loved since I was 12 years old. 

What has been some of your career highlights?

My career highlights would be in 2018 when it was the Africa cup in Johannesburg and got a 3rd place for kumite and the day I got my first black belt (shodan) in 2018 and the Indo Pacifica tournament where I got 1st place in kumite. 

Can you please share with us a memorable fight in your career and what you learned from it?

My most memorable fight must be the Indo Pacific cup where I got gold. What I learned from it was that it is better to be patient than to try and rush to get points. 

How do you deal with setbacks and losses, both in and out of the ring?

Setbacks are good for 1 reason and that is to learn from it. My dad gives me good advice when I have a setback or a disappointment, I would usually sit and think about what I did wrong and try to rectify what I did wrong so that in the future I won’t do it again. 

What advice would you give someone who wants to become a professional karate player?

I would say that you just need to give your best, always practice and enjoy every moment of it. 

What do you still want to achieve in your career?

I would like to one day compete in the world tournament just like my sister and father.  

Photo: Supplied