Eastern Cape rising table tennis player Renisha Jackson aspires to represent South Africa one day.
Hailing from Queenstown, Jackson started playing table tennis at the age of 8 in her coach’s garage and since then, she has been working towards making a name for herself in the sporting code.
The now 16-year-old won her first medals at the age of 12 at the National Championship Games in Secunda, Mpumalanga. She won gold in the girls doubles category and bronze in the singles event.
Jackson is passionate about making her dreams of becoming a national table tennis player a reality, while also showing her abilities in netball at school level.
Speaking with Rudene Hare, Jackson reveals her achievements to date and shares her views on women’s table tennis development in South Africa.
Renisha, thank you for chatting to us! Please introduce yourself to our readers.
I am Renisha Jackson, I am 16-years-old and I am in grade 10 at Hoërskool Hangklip. Besides my love for Table Tennis and Netball, I spend time with my friends and loved ones in my free time.
Congratulations on advancing to the National Table Tennis Championship taking place in Durban in October. How was the experience for you at the championship in Umtata and being awarded a medal?
Thank you so much! It was an amazing experience having to play against all the top U19 girls in the Eastern Cape and to play finals was just phenomenal. Playing U19 this year against all the others was very nerve-wracking and scary. Being awarded a medal was just amazing.
When and where did your love for sport begin and for those who may be unfamiliar with Table Tennis, kindly give us a table tennis breakdown?
My love for the sport came at the age of 8, when I was introduced to the sport in my coach’s garage and before I knew it I was hooked on Table Tennis. It is not an easy sport to learn, especially after the basics but once you have the correct techniques and strokes, you are good to go! Table Tennis is a very fun sport to play.
What are some of the challenges you had to face in your sport and how did you overcome them?
Our biggest challenges are venues and transportation. I learned how to play Table Tennis in my coach’s garage, but we managed to get the AFM hall with the help of Mr Rowan Blignaut. Our training days are scheduled from Monday – Thursday, as Table Tennis requires a lot of training.
As for transport, we do a lot of fundraising in order to go play tournaments. Furthermore, as with the trials, someone had to borrow our club R4750 in order for us to play trials. Therefore, we will do fundraising to return the amount.
What have been some of your career highlights to do?
Career highlights for me reflect back to 2018. It was my first time ever playing the Nationals Championship Games in Secunda, Mpumalanga, when I was only 12 years of age. I won a gold medal for girls doubles and bronze for singles. I also won the Open Championship Floating Trophy in 2017 in Port Elizabeth.
Who are some of the sportswomen you admire and why?
We all admire the Chinese Table Tennis players but for me personally our own South African players are exceptional! I would say I admire Jesse-Leigh Nomdo, Xuiyan Li and Denisha Patel. I admire them because they are good players, since I started playing Table Tennis they have inspired me.
Looking back at the last five years, what do you think of the coverage of women’s sport, both online and in print? Particularly when it comes to Table Tennis.
In general women’s sport are being overlooked, especially Table Tennis. There is never full coverage of it, just a clip and it is therefore unfair as South Africa will be hosting the Table Tennis World Cup in Durban.
What progress do women still need to make in the field of Table Tennis?
To win an African Championship either junior or senior and train harder.
What is your advice to young girls who want to pursue this career and how important is it for them to take care of themselves mentally, physically and emotionally?
My advice to young girls pursuing Table Tennis is to never give up. At times it will feel like you are going nowhere learning the strokes and techniques but just hang in there because you will be empowered physically. It will make you mentally strong because you will have to think and emotionally when you lose knowing you could have won. Table Tennis also teaches you discipline.
What is your message to encourage corporate giants in South Africa to sponsor development sporting codes in the country?
My message to corporate giants is to do a long-term development contract with Table Tennis clubs or Federations or even the mother body of Table Tennis. Show coverage of all the tournaments that’s taking place, especially the SA Nationals Championship games and not just particular games.
I think we need to start a National League/Provincial League in order to be recognised but starting a national league requires funds.
We are heading into the 2022 Momentum gsport Awards and our theme is Power of Recognition. How important is being recognised for you?
Everyone loves recognition, especially when it comes to sport. So for me personally, it would be great if our sport could get recognised in Queenstown and surrounding areas or the whole Province for that matter.
Photo 1 Caption: Renisha Jackson with the medal she won at the Table Tennis Championship in Umtata. Photo: Supplied
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