Rashaka Katadat She never thought she would serve in the army and be a volleyball player at the same time.
“My dream was to become a lawyer, but some financial constraints in my family put that dream on hold,” the Ghanaian told Olympics.com.
Her journey to this point was a myriad of tough decisions that would affect important trajectories of her life.
“Rash”‘s initiation into the realm of volleyball came under the guidance of her older brothers in Ejura, located in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Raised in a family deeply rooted in Islamic values, these principles would later challenge her aspirations in professional volleyball.
During her upbringing, volleyball was not the sport she was most passionate about. Instead, handball held a special place in her heart until she enrolled at TI Amass High School in Kumasi, located in the Ashanti region of Ghana.
“I played handball before I went to high school. I really liked it and it was my favorite sport. At TI Amass, you are encouraged to play other sports. I remember playing handball, volleyball, discus and basketball,” Rush said.
During her teenage years, she played for the Highlanders Volleyball Club in Ejura before getting a call up for the national team.
Of all the hand sports, volleyball impressed her when she was named to the U-23 national team in 2014. An ecstatic Katadat relished the opportunity to train with the national team before a solidarity tournament Ivory Coast would host.
Unfortunately, the Ebola epidemic worsened in 2014 and the games were cancelled.
However, the disappointment that Katadat felt did not make up for the impression that the volleyball left on her. In Accra, she saw “how effective the volleyball league was” and decided to make the sport her main focus.
Rash finished high school with a record-breaking performance in her sport and was adjudged the best volleyball player in the Ashanti region.
He earned a call-up to the national team for the 2015 African Games in Congo, but again ended up on the wrong side of fate when, despite training with them, he was unable to make the final squad.