Yashin Naidoo is emerging as one of the key members in Team SA’s volleyball squad at the Region 5 Youth Games, writes Mark Lemke in Windhoek.
He is one half of the beach volleyball team, who enjoyed a successful first day on the sand with two wins out of three, and he has been selected as captain of the indoor volleyball side.
The squad arrived in Windhoek on Tuesday and Naidoo has quickly established himself as an athlete to follow in the Namibian capital.
The 17-year-old began playing the sport in his Grade 8 year at Northwood Boys High School in KwaZulu-Natal. “When I started high school I intended on playing hockey, but a bunch of my friends said that we should all play volleyball for a bit of a laugh.
“It turned out that I was somewhat of a natural and I began to take it seriously and now I find myself with the honour of representing my country,” said Naidoo.
This is his first involvement with Team SA and the day after his arrival for the Games, the team held a meeting and decided that he was the right fit for the captaincy.
“Having the chance to represent South Africa is a dream come true for me, and being named captain is an experience that will not only help me in my playing career but in my life in general. I am so proud to lead this team full of amazing people. I will work as hard as I can to honour the responsibility they have trusted me with.”
Yash – as he is familiarly referred to by teammates, friends, and family – is in Grade 11 and he shared his ambitions for his future both on and off the court.
“My main goal going forward is to study actuarial science at Tuks or UCT. I am very happy with my playing career so far and for now I am going to keep my head down and work hard. Hopefully this path continues to take me higher, but my focus is on representing Team South Africa to the best of my abilities at this competition.”
Naidoo’s strong first day in the beach games makes it likely that he will be in the knockout portion on Saturday with a chance to bring home gold.
He will have his first game as indoor captain on Friday where he and his team are looking to start building momentum towards a medal. The young star has only just begun his journey. His ambitions and character as a player and as a person, paints an exciting picture for what’s to come in his life.
Photo: Frennie Shivambu
