Netball prodigy off to provincials
With her eyes set on the ultimate goal – to one day play for the U21 SPAR Baby Proteas – Khumo Segopolo is ready to take on the challenge, as she has been selected for the Gauteng team to participate in the South African Schools Netball (SASN) All Ages Netball Tournament hosted at Hoërskool EG Jansen in June.
Khumo recently made her debut as a junior player for the Southern Gauteng Netball Team at the Inter-Provincial (IPT) Indoor Netball Tournament in Cape Town in April, alongside some of the best action netball players in the country in the Junior League Montague. Her journey as a junior in such a high-performance category makes her a player to keep your eyes on.
Also read: Netball starlet triumphs at provincial tournament
Khumo shared that starting to play at the age of 11, she was fortunate to have a mother who has experience as a provincial and national player who assisted her with extra training sessions outside of her normal practices.
She adds that she feels most confident playing as a goal attack (GA), as she knows that this position plays a crucial role in the attacking third, often working together with the goal shooter to create effective offensive plays.
The future looks bright for young Khumo as her eyes are set on representing South Africa in the 2026 Emirates Dubai 7's Netball Tournament for the junior Proteas team.
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
TimesLIVE
10 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Experience and struggle have prepared PSG for Champions League glory, says Luis Enrique
Paris St Germain manager Luis Enrique is confident his youthful squad are ready to clinch their first Champions League title as they gear up for Saturday's final against Inter Milan. The Spaniard believes the squad's big-game experience over the past two years under his guidance has put them in a strong position to lift the trophy in Munich. Luis Enrique added that the hurdles faced by his side during the first half of the season have served as motivation for them as they prepare to face a seasoned Inter side. 'We're a team that's used to playing in finals; these are situations we're accustomed to and have already experienced. Motivation is important, but we're used to it,' Luis Enrique told a press conference. 'There are always two ways to interpret experience, it can play both ways. I think it's important to have experience, but that it's still very relative. 'What makes us strong as a team is that our journey has been difficult: there have been ups and downs, but having struggled can be an advantage. We're used to playing these finals, we've played against some of the best teams in Europe, and we've played some real finals along the way. We're ready, we won't be afraid.'
eNCA
15 hours ago
- eNCA
PSG, Inter Milan set for Champions League final showdown
GERMANY - Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan will lock horns in Saturday's Champions League final with the French side hoping to win European club football's biggest prize for the first time and the Italians eyeing their fourth title. The match, which kicks off at Bayern Munich's 75,000-capacity Allianz Arena at 9:00pm (1900 GMT), pits an experienced Inter against a PSG team appearing in their second final since the transformative Qatari takeover of the club in 2011. Whoever wins will succeed Real Madrid as champions, and excitement is notably at fever pitch back in Paris, where around 40,000 people will watch on giant screens at PSG's Parc des Princes stadium and a huge police presence is planned around the city. The climax to the European season has thrown up a mouthwatering clash of opposing styles and ideas of how to build a team, a contest between one of the continent's old guard and one of the state-owned modern superclubs. Despite enormous spending, PSG have never won the Champions League before, coming closest when they got to the final in 2020. That was during the pandemic, when they lost to Bayern behind closed doors in Lisbon, despite the presence of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar up front. The addition of Lionel Messi a year later did not help them in their quest to claim the trophy, and their brilliant run to Munich has come in the season after Mbappe followed the South American superstar duo out of the exit door. - 'Do something historic' - "There have been great times, difficult times, but we have a glorious opportunity to do something remarkable and historic for this club," captain Marquinhos said on Friday. Under Spanish coach Luis Enrique, an exciting young Paris side has taken Europe by storm in recent months, with a comeback win in January against 2023 champions Manchester City proving the catalyst. Since then PSG have knocked out three more Premier League sides - Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal - en route to the final, and have completed a French league and cup double. Ousmane Dembele has been their star player with 33 goals, ably assisted by fellow forwards Desire Doue, Bradley Barcola and January signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Others like Achraf Hakimi, formerly of Inter, and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma have also been superb. 'My biggest motivation is to make history for Paris and give the city and club something to celebrate," said Luis Enrique, who is looking to win his second Champions League title, 10 years after leading Barcelona to glory. Victory for PSG would make them just the second French winners of the competition -- Marseille's 1993 triumph also came in Munich, at the old Olympic Stadium, and against Inter's city rivals AC Milan. - Italian experience - Inter were the last Italian winners, when Jose Mourinho's side defeated Bayern in Madrid in 2010. They also won it twice in successive years in the 1960s. Coach Simone Inzaghi was already in charge when the Nerazzurri got to the final two years ago and lost narrowly to City. As many as eight of the team that started that night in Istanbul could do so again here, and an experienced line-up should feature three players aged 36 or over. Inzaghi's side beat Bayern in the quarter-finals before getting the better of Barcelona in an epic tie in the last four. Captained by star Argentinian forward Lautaro Martinez, they will set up in a 3-5-2 formation that contrasts sharply with the 4-3-3 of PSG. AFP | Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV "Last time against Manchester City we produced a top-class performance but didn't win, so this time we hope to be a bit more switched on," said midfielder Nicolo Barella, recalling the 2023 final. "These matches come down to fine margins, but we will try to bring home the trophy, that is the dream for all of us. "After a season like this one I think we deserve to win this final," added Barella, whose side missed out to Napoli for the Serie A title on the last day of the campaign. It is, remarkably, the first ever competitive encounter between the teams. While fans flooded into the German city on Friday, back in Paris fanzones have been set up at three locations beyond PSG's stadium. Police will deploy more than 5,000 officers in the city and its suburbs during the final after violence erupted following PSG's last-four victory against Arsenal. In Milan, meanwhile, tens of thousands will also watch the game at Inter's San Siro stadium.
Daily Maverick
a day ago
- Daily Maverick
PSG primed for maiden Champions League title in tight tussle with Inter Milan
Inter Milan are out to stop Paris Saint-Germain from becoming the latest club to win the European Champions League for the first time. This year's European Champions League finalists – Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Inter Milan – stand at opposite ends of the soccer spectrum. While the French side is seeking its first ever Champions League title, the Italians have won it three times. Under their Spanish manager Luis Enrique, PSG exude youthful exuberance. The likes of teenage forward Désiré Doué, João Neves, Bradley Barcola and Willian Pacho have stepped up under the no-nonsense Enrique. This despite their inexperience playing in Europe's premier club competition. Players such as fleet-footed forward Ousmane Dembélé, goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and Vitinha provide some experience to balance things out. Nevertheless, they are far from being veterans. Inter, by contrast, is a team stacked with battle-hardened and streetsmart soldiers, from their goalkeeper Yann Sommer to midfielders Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Hakan Çalhanoğlu — plus enigmatic forward Marko Arnautović. However, their talisman is undoubtedly Lautaro Martínez. Battle-scarred Inter While PSG's 3-1 semifinal win over Arsenal was not a walkover, Inter head into the final having come out as 7-6 victors during a titanic last-four clash against Barcelona. Inter's frailties were exposed by a relentless Barcelona attack, but so was their fighting spirit. What will inspire some confidence for the Parisians is the fact that since their success over Arsenal, they have continued winning. A week ago, they brushed aside Reims 3-0 to be crowned French Cup champions. They also clinched the 13th French league title of their history. This means PSG are on the brink of an historic treble should they cast aside Inter on Saturday, 31 May 2025, in Munich. Inter, on the other hand, enter the final nursing heartbreak after being pipped to the 2024/25 Serie A league crown by Napoli. Only one point separated the two teams after all matches had been played. 'The league championship that just concluded left us with something to remember,' Inter manager Simone Inzaghi said. 'There is a lot of suffering in myself and in the players, it's pointless denying it.' Not be trifled with The team can numb this pain by clinching their fourth overall Champions League victory in history. The last time the Italian outfit ascended to the summit of European soccer was in 2010 — under Jose Mourinho. That Mourinho side had a similar profile to this Inter, with its unwavering willpower and tenacity. 'It's Inter's second final in three years. They're ready. They've not made too many changes to their side. It's a team that dominates from set pieces. It's up to us to go into the final in the right frame of mind,' said PSG boss Enrique. 'We've grown a lot this season and the players have progressed a lot. The strength of the team is the most important thing. You learn something every day after many years of experience as a coach, and I'm improving all the time with this group.' The Spanish tactician is not in unfamiliar territory. He reached and won the Champions League final as Barcelona manager in 2015. It is the reason he was brought to PSG in the first place. New era After PSG's strategy of reeling in soccer's superstars failed to pay dividends, only delivering one Champions League final (which they lost to Bayern Munich in 2020), there has been a change of philosophy within the club. The enormous egos of influential figures such as Kylian Mbappe and Neymar (who PSG made the two most expensive players in the world) have been replaced by the earlier-mentioned youthful vigour and humility of the current crop. Whereas in the past the authority of PSG managers in the dressing room may have been questioned, Enrique is the clear conductor of this Parisian orchestra. They have one more major performance this season. If they are to succeed where numerous other PSG teams have failed since the 2011 takeover of the club by Qatar Sports Investments, Saturday's match will have to be the most melodic display of what has been a memorable season for them. The mandate is clear. 'Our aim is to make the club an institution respected around the world. If we are going to make that happen, we have to win the Champions League… Any team that wins it is seen differently by everyone else,' PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has previously said of the club's ambitions. Over the past 25 years, Chelsea and Manchester City became first-time winners of Europe's most coveted piece of silverware. PSG will be looking to become the latest newcomers to this exclusive club. It's what they've worked towards since 2011. DM
