Tamika van As celebrated her 13th birthday a month ago and is the youngest member of the Team SA squad at the African Youth Games. This table tennis prodigy is a safe bet to be a familiar face in the Team SA family going forward and after the close of her singles competition on Thursday, she sat down in the hotel reception with Mark Lemke to introduce herself to South Africa.
“I began playing table tennis when I was seven. The COVID-19 pandemic broke out and I wasn’t able to go outside so my dad, who was a national South African table tennis player and is now a coach (Graham van As), set up a table for me to play on.”
At 13 years and 25 days old, she has already become familiar with wearing South African colours. “I first represented South Africa when I was nine. I was in Tunisia for a training camp called HOPES. It is also where I realised I was pretty good.”
The understandably reserved Capetonian reached the round of 16 in the singles tournament in Luanda and has a doubles event with boys table tennis athlete, Ruan Scholtz, which begins on Saturday. After the conclusion of their campaign, Van As will return home to prepare for a brand new chapter in her life – high school!
“I just finished grade seven at Athlone North Primary School and I am going to Fairbairn College next year. I am not sure when school starts though!”
Table tennis is not the only talent of Team SA’s youngest star. “I love ice-skating! I used to do figure skating competitively but I stopped during COVID-19 and then the table tennis began. I skate at Grand West whenever I can, it’s so much fun.”
Her coach at the African Youth Games, Musfiquh Kalam – who is a player herself for Team SA and was at the 2024 African Games in Accra, Ghana – shared that Van As represented South Africa in figure skating.
The sky’s the limit for this table tennis prodigy. Her exceptional talent and desire to work hard is sure to carry her forward through her new high school chapter and lead her to success in her table tennis journey.
Photo: Frennie Shivambu
