Durban surfer wins big after returning from a career-threatening injury
Durban — In spite of his career-threatening injury Ntokozo “Surprise” Maphumulo surprised many as he won the Junior QF Seal Point Pro on Monday in Cape St Francis, Eastern Cape.
Ntokozo broke his leg while playing indoor soccer in February. It took him almost six months to recover.
“After coming back from the hospital I got the news from the doctor that I had fractured my right ankle and I’m going to be in a cast for six weeks. I didn’t get in the ocean for six weeks. That’s probably the longest I have never surfed for. It took me five-and-a-half months to recover,’’ said Ntokozo.
The 17-year-old Durban surfer from Musgrave, who is in Grade 11 at Durban High School, surprised many by scooping his first major trophy of his career.
Ntokozo finished ahead of his homeboy James Ribbink, from uMhlanga, who came second while Mitch du Preez steadily built on his scores and moved into third place and Luke van Wyk took fourth place.
Ntokozo, who started surfing when he was 10 years old, said this was a reward for his hard work after having struggling to recover from injuries.
“Coming to this competition was never easy. I had so many injuries. All the hard work is finally paying off. After having many injuries I thought my career might be over, but here I am,” he said.
The weather was not favourable for the surfers as it was a cold, gloomy day in Cape St Francis, with rain squalls and strong onshore winds making everything a bit trickier.
In spite of the weather conditions, pausing challenging waves and windswept conditions “Surprise” rose above the challenging waves to victory.
“It was a really hard day at the beach, but thanks to my coaches, we spoke about the waves and conditions were tough but we made it through the day and I’m psyched,” said Ntokozo.
He also expressed his gratitude to the event organiser for creating the opportunity which saw him walk away with the title.
“Thanks to everyone behind the scenes, setting up the contest, and a big shout-out to my sponsors for getting me here, and keeping me stoked,” said Ntokozo.
The Seal Point Pro Junior is organised by RYD, Arakawa Performance Surfboards, Yyelo Watches, Surfing South Africa, Seal Point Boardriders, Seal Point Lighthouse, Surf Education Africa and Jbay Surf Fest.
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