Johannesburg – It’s not often a young schoolgirl daringly takes a plunge into the deep waters with the sole aim of realising her sporting prowess.
But junior high teen Zalika Methula has proven that with a big heart and courage, you can venture into any sporting discipline and succeed.
Grade 9 pupil Methula has been doing just that since the age of 11, as she is more than determined to pave her way into the not so popular aquatic sport of international diving.
She even surprised her parents, mom Winnie and dad Sipho 10 years ago when she said she wanted to make it big in diving while at St Mary’s Girls School in Waverley, north of Joburg.
“I was 10 going for 11 at the time and I played a lot of sports – tennis, hockey, gymnastics, even boxing. I was then invited to our school diving trials to come and watch. At the beginning, I didn’t have the interest,” she recalls.
“Gradually, my interest grew. When I told my parents and teachers that I’m done with the other sports, especially gymnastics, and that I was fascinated by the diving, they looked at me in disbelief. In Gauteng, there are only three black girls doing diving.”
In the Under-15 age group, Methula competes in the 1m and 3m group, platform and synchronised diving, where she competes with a partner. Among her recent achievements at the Central Gauteng Aquatics trials was making a clean sweep of the medals and trophies in her categories, receiving gold in platform, 1m, 3m group B and synchronised diving, with her partner 18-year-old Bailey Davenport.
In the women’s section, she came second in both the 1m and 3m and won gold in the synchronised diving with Davenport. Now for the big one, Methula has been selected to represent Central Gauteng at the SA National Championships at the St Dominic Catholic School in Boksburg next month.
There after it should be the junior world championships.
“My parents thought I would pursue my dream to become a gymnast, they have accepted that it’s my choice. I love diving, it is one sport that you compete against yourself and push yourself to the limit,” she says.
“I’ve grown into diving, I’ve also realised I need to have time for both my schoolwork, my diving practices and competion on weekends.”
As a member of the Crusaders Diving Club, Zalika is coached by Danilo Cogrossi, who described his protégé as an “enthusiastic and willing to learn prospect”.
“She’s strong, she wants to improve,” says Cogrossi.
“They are all young, I allow them space to play but when training starts in earnest, everyone must push themselves.”
The coach adds that he is looking forward to Methula competing at the World Junior Diving Championships in Kiev, Ukraine in November this year after the championship were postponed last year due to the Covid-19 global pandemic.
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