Help Silvertown champ get to Common Wealth Games
A Silvertown karate superstar needs help to strut her stuff on the world stage and is destined to fight for glory.
Zahra Boltman, 19, started karate from the age of 10, following in the footsteps of her older siblings, but she quickly showed off her skills, before kicking and chopping her way up the ranks.
Zahra just returned after being among 400 karate athletes from 23 countries across the world, who competed at the the 2024 UFAK Cadet, Junior and U21 Championships in Tunisia. She departed from Cape Town International Airport on Monday September 9 to compete in the Under-21 Female Kumite Division in the 55kg category.
Zahra competed in Turkey for Worlds Championship nearly two years ago, but was unable to bring home a medal.
The Silvertown teen took a break from from international events last year to complete her matric studies. She attended Habibia from grade 1 until 7, before moving over to San Souci Girls High School. She continued to compete at the local events and remained in shape.
In 2018, she managed to secure her South African colours and has grown ever since.
Speaking to Athlone News from Tunisia, Zahra said despite her hectic schedule, she remains focused on the championship.
“I did gain a lot of experience from this event and I am sure going to use the techniques that I have been working on to the best of my ability,” Zahra said.
“My game plan is to fight the person in front of me and not their country and to just take it one round and a time.”
But it only gets tougher for the rising karate superstar, who has to jet off to the World Karate Champs next month and then the Common Wealth Games in Durban end November.
Due to the unrest currently unfolding in Bangladesh, the Common Wealth Games event was forced to relocate to South Africa for safety reasons and will be hosted in Durban at the end of November.
Her proud mother and well-known Saxophone player, Nuraan Boltman, confirmed that her daughter had jetted off to compete in Tunisia, but the show goes on back home.
“We will do whatever it takes to get her to where she needs to be, because we fully support her and we are always behind her as a family. She makes us extremely proud,” she said.
Ms Boltman said the family was making arrangements to raise funds later this month as her daughter is due to leave for the World Championships in Venice on October 5.
“We really do not have lots of time, but we are really making every effort and we hoping to raise most of the funds needed,” Nuraan said.
The family will be teaming up with some local celebrities on Friday September 27 to host the final fund-raiser to help cover expenses to the World Karate Championships in Venice next month.
The event, which is a three-piece finger supper, will take place at Barron’s Estate and costs R200 a ticket.
For more information, contact Nuraan on 082 726 3065 or Ismail 082 466 4805.
