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The recent conclusion of the 2025 All-Africa Badminton Championships in Douala, Cameroon, saw South African success as 25-year-old Johanita Scholtz, who currently ranks second in Africa, brought home gold in the doubles with the young talent, Amy Ackermann (20), writes MARK LEMKE.
The pair teamed up together for the first time since winning gold at the 2021 African Championships in Kampala, Uganda. Despite the four-year absence as a team, Scholtz stated, “Amy and I were both confident when stepping onto that court together. We had high expectations of ourselves as we knew we had won together before.”
These high expectations proved to be well set as the duo did not drop a set in their final four matches.
Scholtz then spoke about how the week of competition went after a difficult tournament in the singles section, bowing out in the quarter-finals to Nour Ahmed Youssri of Egypt.
“It just was not my day in the singles. It was a tough week. We did not have much time to recover, but it was easy for me to transition from that loss to the doubles.”
With the 2024 Paris Olympics still fresh in Scholtz’s mind, she provided insight into how the experience has further elevated her game.
“I noticed a big growth in my mentality because of the Olympics. They helped me gain a lot of confidence. Usually playing the international games, I would be stressed, but the Olympics showed me that I can play against anyone.”
Following this gold medal at the 2025 African Championships. Scholtz now holds seven African Championship medals, three of which are gold. The badminton star was asked what the horizon now looks like for her.
“For now, it is back to training. I have an opportunity to get my foundations to a higher standard, which will help me take my performance at whatever event arises this year to the next level.
“The Olympics is always the goal, I am going to continue to train and improve my singles game and I am also looking towards opportunities in the doubles through this new partnership with Amy.”
Scholtz returns to South Africa with gold in her pocket and a spring in her step towards enhancing her skills and continuing her successful journey in the badminton world.
Photo: Supplied
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