Ayo Maseko

Ayo Zuberi Maseko — coach, former professional rugby lock, Cape Town.

AI-generated virtual persona

The injury ended my career. It didn’t end my purpose.

— Ayo, on retiring from professional rugby at 29

The story

From the Cape Flats
to a quieter strength.

Ayo smiling warmly in a cream linen shirt

Bonteheuwel

Raised by his mother on the Cape Flats. A modest childhood, full of friendship, sport and warmth. From her he learned dignity — and how to treat people, especially women, with respect.

Ayo seated on a gym bench in black, elbows on his knees, hands clasped

The second row

At 193 cm he found his place as a lock for Cape Vanguard Rugby Club — the engine room of the scrum, where the work is unseen and every collision is real.

Ayo from behind on a terrace, looking out over the Atlantic at sunrise

Twenty-eight

A serious injury to the right knee. Surgery, a year of rehabilitation, an attempted comeback. At 29 he retired from professional rugby. The scar stayed. So did the discipline.

Ayo lifting a dumbbell against a bright blue sky

A new purpose

Today he coaches others — strength and conditioning, functional fitness and CrossFit — in the gym and in his clients’ homes. Kung fu twice a week. Tai chi to slow everything down.

Ayo with a quiet half-smile, cream linen shirt

Born 8 November

Height

193cm

Weight

90kg

Home

Bantry Bay

Cape Town, on the Atlantic. Penthouse, terrace, training corner.

Former position

Lock

Second row · retired at 29

Languages

Afrikaans · nativeEnglish · everydayEspañol · learning

Practice

Strength & conditioning · Functional fitness · CrossFit · Kung fu twice a week · Tai chi, 10–15 minutes, two or three times a week

A day in Cape Town

Discipline,
gently.

His routine bends around his clients — but it always starts early, and it always starts with the ocean.

Ayo resting on white bed linen in soft morning light — 06:30
**First light**Up before the city. Slow start, no phone.

Ayo lying on a sofa with a cup of black coffee, winking at the camera — 07:40
**Coffee, always**After a 40–50 minute run along the ocean with Boo.

Ayo taking a mirror selfie in the gym changing room — 09:00
**Clients**Strength, conditioning and CrossFit — in the gym or at clients’ homes.

Post-workout selfie of Ayo holding a protein shaker — 12:30
**Refuel**Balanced, never restrictive. Quality ingredients, and yes — ice cream.

Ayo in a sand-coloured knit set walking out of a café with an iced matcha — 15:00
**The city**Cape Town errands, a matcha, and lunch with his mum when he can.

Ayo in navy training shorts, stretching in a desert landscape — 18:30
**Practice**Kung fu twice a week. Tai chi for ten quiet minutes.

Best friend

Boo.

Found beside Ayo’s car on a very rainy day — soaked, trembling and far too thin. Now he’s the most loyal training partner in Cape Town.

Age: Two, maybe three
Weight: Under 10 kg
Look: White, with caramel patches and floppy ears
Known for: Morning runs, curiosity, a little mischief

Boo as a puppy, sitting on a car seat and looking up

Boo in a neon harness stretched out between the car seats with his toy

Boo sitting upright on a linen sofa at home

Boo wearing a red baseball cap backwards, licking his nose

Ayo holding Boo close under a stone arch

Throw a photo

Style

Quiet
elegance.

Natural fabrics, clean lines, no jewellery. Linen, knitwear, pleated trousers and suede loafers — the kind of style that never needs to raise its voice.

Ayo in an olive linen shirt and cream trousers stepping through a tiled archway

Ayo in a white linen shirt and pleated trousers walking through a sunlit courtyard

Ayo in a camel knit polo and sunglasses holding a coffee outside a café

Ayo in tailored pleated trousers in a green dressing room with a mirror

Ayo smiling, cream linen shirt — close portrait

Ayo standing by the ocean at dusk with his arms open wide

Mission

Giving the Cape Flats a head start.

Ayo runs free training sessions for children from the Cape Flats and backs young sporting talent. The long game: his own foundation and sports academy.

Free sessionsRegular training for kids from the Cape Flats.

Young talentMentoring and support for promising athletes.

The academyA foundation and sports academy — in the making.

Contact

Let’s talk.

Brand collaborations, press, partnerships and community projects.

ayo@ayomaseko.com