Rio 2016 - Meet Banyana Banyana's Steph Malherbe
Banyana Banyana midfielder Stephanie Malherbe has always wanted to play football, but never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that she would one day be at the Olympic Games as an athlete.
The blonde 20-year old, who was born and raised in Temecula, California in the US, now finds herself at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games where she is part of the South
African women’s Olympic team.
‘I never really thought some day I would be at the Olympics. To be honest, this has been a big dream of mine since I was very young but I never
thought I would be able to make it a reality, so it’s very exciting,’ said Malherbe from the Olympic Village.
She was unable to play for the national team during the Olympic qualifiers as she was still sorting out her documents. She is born of South African
parents who now reside in the USA.
‘There was a time when I thought I would not get my citizenship because we were having so many struggles and I was starting to give up on the dream.
But finally it happened and now it’s been a crazy time, I am here and it’s a dream come true officially. This shows that persistence pays off,’ she added.
The next step for the second year accounting student at the Texas A&M University was to blend in with her new teammates at the Sasol-sponsored Banyana Banyana.
A few months back, she had been training with the South African U20 women’s national team, Basetsana but could not play, as she did not have her citizenship as yet.
‘I was shy and didn’t know if I would be accepted. But the team was very welcoming and now I feel very comfortable among my teammates. I guess as a person you adapt quickly
and that’s what I did,’ she said.
Steph, as she is know in the squad, has now played eight matches since making her debut for the senior national team in the international friendly match against Cameroon in Doula in March this year.
Having played against The Netherlands, the USA and just recently against New Zealand, Malherbe says their plan for the Olympics is clear.
‘As a team we all have the collective goal of making an impact, we are trying to show people that South African football is on the rise. We have so much talent and it would be amazing to get people to recognise
that talent and our abilities,’ said Malherbe.
‘And for me personally I just want to support my team in any way, whether I play or not – just help contribute to our team goal. Being here in Rio and enjoying this experience is a blessing in itself and I want to make the most of it.’
Malherbe has been in camp with the Olympic team since November last year and can’t wait for the Games to begin. She is confident they will do well in the first match against Sweden on Wednesday, despite the 4-1 loss to New Zealand
in an international friendly in Rio last Thursday.