Story by Dylan Rogers for Sports Industry Group
In the process she joins fellow ambassadors Chad le Clos, Caster Semenya, Wayde van Niekerk, and Lucas Radebe.
Montjane was born with a congenital birth defect that affected both her hands and feet, resulting in an amputation below the left knee at the age of 12. She began her tennis career at 20 and has since competed in the Paralympics in Beijing, London, and Rio. In 2018, she became the first African wheelchair tennis player to compete in the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open in the same calendar year.
An incredible career
Montjane has won numerous Sportswoman of the Year awards and captained the South African wheelchair tennis team to their first ever top four finish at an international World Team Cup event. She also runs the Montjane Sports Development NGO, which establishes sporting facilities for disadvantaged people in rural areas.
“We are proud to welcome Kgothatso Montjane as a Discovery Vitality Ambassador. We believe her hard work, compassion and leadership, both on and off the court, will show people – those able-bodied and differently-abled, from all walks of life and of all fitness levels – that each one of us can take steps to improve our physical and mental health, and that within each of us lies the potential to achieve great things,” says Iona Maclean, Head of Experiential Marketing at Discovery.
“At a time in our history when people are looking for hope and inspiration, Discovery’s ambassadors have been able to connect with so many on a personal level, becoming beacons of positive action and perseverance. Vitality’s global ambition is to make 100 million people 20% more active by 2025, and we are thrilled to have KG on board to help us achieve this goal.”
More determined than ever
“I’m incredibly excited by this new partnership, and the opportunity it provides to bring hope to others,” says Montjane. “Although Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on everyone in the sports industry, I am more determined than ever to take on new challenges, encourage more people to get active, and help grow tennis in South Africa.”
