Africa-Press – Angola. Maria Niangi, an athlete at Clube Judo Elite, developed a taste for judo when she was 12 years old, influenced by friends, who took her to the Barão Puna club academy, located near Maria Mambo Café Airport, in Cabinda, her hometown.Niangi will never forget the year 2009, when she began her young but brilliant sports career. Without a world reference to serve as a source of inspiration, the athlete boasts of being possessed by a “masculine demolition instinct”, which motivates her to fight and always think about victory.
“I’ve always enjoyed doing male activities. In fact, from a very young age, I’ve always hung out with boys. It was through my friends at the time that I discovered the Barão Puna club in Cabinda, where I learned to fight judo with master José, better known as Man Lola,” he says.
Niangi started training, but was forced to stop in 2015, due to her pregnancy with her daughter, who is now nine years old. She took a year off from the gym to take care of the child.
In search of better living conditions, in 2016, the athlete’s mother (Cláudia Nzuzi) decided to leave Cabinda and settle in Luanda. Once in the capital, Niangi decided to enroll in a gym to continue training. “When I returned, I had to give it my all. In Luanda, I went to several gyms and, in all of them, I was always one of the athletes who stood out the most. For this reason, they invited me to be part of the national women’s judo team”, she explains.
The African judo champion explained that she left Cabinda with a white belt and today, eight years later, holds the title of 3rd dan athlete. Maria Niangi has a black belt. “After so many victories, my fingers are misaligned and crooked. But that doesn’t embarrass me. Every injury or mark I have on my body is a symbol of merit. I value every trophy I have won so far,” she emphasizes.
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