Bloemfontein badminton aces, Wiaan Viljoen and Andries Malan, are seemingly unstoppable on their way to Rio after another classy performance in an international tournament boosting their qualifying status for the Olympic Games later this year in Brazil.
Viljoen and Malan have established themselves as the undoubted premier doubles pairing in Africa over the last three years and have proven this after cruising to victory recently in an international tournament hosted in Mauritius.
They have won three of their last four international tournaments and if they can manage another win at the Uganda International in Kampala from 25 to 25 February they may break into the top 50 on the world rankings, which is necessary to qualify for the Olympics.
If everything goes according to plan they then have another two months of international tournaments to cement their position and a top 40 position could be in sight.
Viljoen mentioned that although they did not play at their best during the tournament, it is satisfactory that they can beat the opposition comfortably even when they are in second gear. It is a clear indication that they can peak at the right time at the Olympics.
Nita Scholtz, who has only recently turned 16, has recently announced her intentions to play senior badminton. Badminton Africa has identified her for the 2020 Olympic Games as a potential qualifier.
This meant she received a wild card entry to the Mauritius event and this was only her second taste of senior international badminton after having played in the South African International in 2014.
Back then she didn’t have much success, but 15 months on, she has improved in leaps and bounds and not only survived the first round but won the one game after another beating players high on the world rankings.
She eventually lost to the number one ranked player in a tense three-set match.
This is a remarkable feat for Scholtz, who has also just recovered from a serious ankle injury she picked up at last year’s World Junior Championships in Peru.
After this result she must be seen as one of the favourites for the Africa Junior title, which will be decided in Morocco in July.
For now her focus will be exclusively on senior badminton and the ultimate goal is to compete at the Olympics. – Johan Kleingeld
