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Nestorine Katangate

Swag Mama Cool Lifestyle Editor
When other girls her age are busy trying to learn the art of fixing on fake nails and eyelashes in their free time, she is occupied with acquiring pugilistic finesse.
Mbare High Shool Nestorine Katangate has decided to make the boxing ring her arena for high personal achievement.
The 18-year-old garnered a silver medal and a trophy for her school at the youth games recently held in Bulawayo and she is on top of the world.
“I started boxing when I was 10 years old but this was my first time to compete at a national level,” the teen shared as she explained that boxing is just like any other sport which women should participate in as a matter of course. She hopes more girls will soon be punching it out all around the country.

Nestorine said that fear is natural and part of the challenge is overcoming it. She started out by just sticking to training and made sure to avoid signing up for matches as she was afraid of getting hurt.

But she has since learnt to roll with the punches and realised that it is not as scary as she once imagined.
Nestorine thanked her family for bringing out the best in her by allowing her to follow her heart, since she is the first in the family to take up the sport.

She is also grateful to the school authorities for a chance to get into the spotlight and shine.
She has become an icon at her school and more girls have become interested in boxing.

Nestorine says she would like to take up boxing professionally and her recent performance at the youth games may just propel her there.
Already there are a number of clubs who want to sign her up. We hope that she will get the support she needs to reach her full potential.

There is still a lot of unchartered territory in women boxing although the first female boxing match took place in 1876. The journey that still continues has not been easy or quick.

From 1876 it took a whole century before most major organisations and licensing bureaus allowed women to box.
Sweden was the first country to lift the ban on women in amateur boxing in 1988, an example that other countries like the US then followed.

Women’s boxing finally made it to the Olympics in the 2012 London games.
Most action in the women’s ring takes place in the United States, Europe and South America.

Noteworthy boxers include Christina Hammer, Jessica Rakoczy, Susie Ramadan, Marcela Eliana Acuna , Cecilia Braekhus, Monica Acosta, Jackie Nava, Carina Moreno, Anne Sophie Mathis and Alicia Melinda Cooper.

But the queen of them all is Lucia “The Dutch Destroyer” Rijker became the first and for now only female boxer to be inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame.
We hope that Nestorine will not be joining her there, but surpassing her by going into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York, where no woman has been yet.

Cool Lifestyle believes in Nestorine and we will be cheering for her all the way.
So watch out Monalisa Sibanda and Patience Master Kachigwada as this new face in Zimbabwean boxing raises her fists for success.