Karate champion, Zahra Boltman, has been selected as the Western Cape Senior Sportswoman of the Year at this year’s Karate Western Cape Awards, which took place at the Kuils River Civic Centre.
Boltman, 19, from Athlone, also won an award for making the South African team yet again and another award for winning double gold at Nationals. She is no stranger to getting a kick out of competitions and said 2024 was an amazing karate year.
“It was shocking [being selected as sportswoman of the year] because I started competing later than everyone else so I feel like there’s always something to keep working on but I’m happy about receiving this award, however, by achieving it doesn’t mean the work is going to stop.
“The year 2024 was a year I dedicated everything to karate, since it being my first full year out of high school, I was at every tournament and training session we could afford and I can safely say it was hard but rewarding.”
“In 2024 I became national champion for the fourth year in a row, I competed in the UFAK championships in Tunisia. I competed in the region south championships in Namibia where I received double gold, and Commonwealth Championships in Durban where I received four gold medals and one bronze.
“I also competed at the World Karate Championships in Italy to which I was unsuccessful in medal but successful in lessons.
“It showed me how much I grew as an athlete because when I went to my first World Championships in Konya, Turkey in 2022, I lost first round and my second time in Italy I won my first round 5-0 after training and working hard.”
When asked what can be expected for 2025, she said: “As much as I would love to disclose that information, I believe that actions speak louder than words so stay tuned and watch out for me.”
Proud mom and saxophonist who also performed at the awards and was recently spotted on Suidooster, Nuraan Boltman added: “I am very ecstatic. I think Zahra deserves this award, she worked and trained hard and we spent a lot of money to get her where she wanted to be.”
Cape Argus