King on his love of 80s music, thrifting and beach volleyball

The excitement in the air is tangible as Dakar gets ready to host the first ever Olympic event on African soil, with the fourth Youth Olympics getting under way on Saturday.

Among the 46 athletes representing Team SA across 15 sports is Evra King. He is the second half of the pair from boys beach volleyball, along with Duncan Davids. King spoke about his unexpected transition to beach volleyball and the quick progression he has made in the sport ahead of these Games.

The 17-year-old from Fourways, Johannesburg, explained that the Olympic level had always been a dream, however he was unaware that that dream would materialise in the sand.

“I have dreamt of the Olympics since I was very young. Sport has always been a big part of my life. I began with soccer and swimming because my dad was a coach of both, then I tried fencing and cricket before I found my first passion, skateboarding.

“At the place I did fencing was a volleyball court below and I decided to give it a go. After a while I decided to fully commit to volleyball and it led me to the African Youth Games in Angola last year which was my first experience playing beach volleyball.”

Much like Davids, the experience in Angola was a huge learning opportunity and filled King with incredible drive and confidence in preparation for the Youth Olympics. “I have put in a lot of hard work since then and achieving the honour of representing Team South Africa in Senegal is unbelievable. I am still pinching myself to see if this is really happening.”

The Grade 11 student at Michael Mount Waldorf School, who takes geography, science and art, says, “I am hopeful that we have improved enough from last year to compete well and challenge for medals.”

The polite and friendly King enjoys art in school to unwind and recover from the busy schedule of training, competing and studying. King also loves his music and has taken after his parents’ generation of 80s music.

“Music has become a part of my everyday routine and I sometimes forget that it isn’t naturally playing in my ears,” said King, who continued and shared his other joy, “I love to go thrifting for vintage clothes. Much like my older music taste, I love the style of the 80s and I am always looking in thrift shops for hidden 80s gems.”

King and his partner, and friend, Davids, have been spending time at Saly Beach training on the burning hot sand where they will begin their charge for Olympic medals on Saturday.

The 2026 Youth Olympic Athletes Village is beginning to fill and Team South Africa Equestrian athlete, Bo Reed, sat down outside the athlete hub with her accreditation glistening with the pins of other nations to share her journey to reaching the Youth Olympics.

“I rode my first horse when I was four-years-old and I have not looked back. The process of qualifying for the games was quite rigorous. I first had to qualify for a shortlist of around 15 riders. That list was then packed down to just four, and we had to then compete against each other for this spot in the Team South Africa squad.”

The 17-year-old from Lanseria, Gauteng, has made the most of her time in the village thus far, speaking to as many countries as she can and utilising the gym to train and to relax. “I have really enjoyed meeting all the athletes from different countries. I want to carry on collecting as many pins as I can. The gym has been great because back home I love to go to the gym.”

Reed went on to speak about her school life at HeronBridge College, “I take my schoolwork very seriously. I take biology, physics, history and AP maths, which is a lot of work, but I enjoy it.”

The bubbly Reed, who has an Olympic ring necklace gifted to her by her parents in celebration of her qualification, aspires to move overseas once she has completed her matric next year. In the meantime, she is fully focused on the Youth Olympics as she has recently drawn the horse on which she will be competing.

“I am happy with the horse I have drawn. She is quite feisty and responsive which I love in a horse. I am excited to compete on Sunday with her, and I believe we have a good chance of a high placement.”

Reed’s mentality in the interview truly encompassed why the famous phrase “getting back on the horse” exists. She explained that the sport requires intense mental fortitude and shared a truly testing time in her riding career.

“Of course I have had physical falls, such as when I broke my collarbone but some of the most testing falls happen mentally. My first horse, Genie, was getting old and he began stopping and struggling with competition. I went through a patch where I would get disqualified in every event and I questioned whether I should retire with my horse.

“My new horse, Mardi, who I have had for two years now, helped me gain my confidence back and helped steer me back on track. I learnt a lot from that experience, and I believe it has made me a stronger rider today.”

Reed will be in action on Sunday and with a good horse and a strong mindset, she will be a great representative of Team SA at the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympics.