She is a trained electrical engineer, a widowed mother of two, and has endured fat jibes from people watching her on court. Yet Mary Waya has inspired a nation of women in Malawi, one of the worlds poorest countries, to pick up a netball. People know her around the world just because of what she could do with the ball, said netball commentator Anita Navin. It went around the body, through the legs and in the goal. Even against the tallest of defenders she can get round. Waya forged a 25-year playing career, competed at three Commonwealth Games, and helped develop an unorthodox playing style which saw the national team become known as the Harlem Globetrotters of netball. Now, at 46, the former shooter is head coach of the Malawi Queens, who are ranked fifth in the world, and is set to attend her fourth Games in Glasgow. She has achieved it with no formal training, basic facilities and minimal funding. But she insists: No money, all the money - it wouldnt matter. Id still do it for free. Waya was born in Blantyre, Malawi, as one of 13 siblings. Her African homeland is a mainly agricultural country, and with more than half the population living below the poverty line, there were few opportunities to play sport. Waya first became involved aged 12, when Harry - one of her three brothers to play football for the Malawi national team - brought back a netball he had picked up during a tour of the UK. With no netball courts to practise on, she would simply play wherever there was a space and would learn skills from her siblings. bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-28264458
Posted on: Thu, 24 Jul 2014 15:25:26 +0000
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