Cape Argus E-dition

Living the Olympic dream

KESHIA AFRICA keshia.africa@inl.co.za

COMPETING in the Olympics is one of the highest honours for any athlete, and for local competitor Rocco van Rooyen partaking in the Tokyo Olympics is a rewarding achievement.

The Durbanville athlete, who is also a pastor, currently holds a personal record of 87.62m in the javelin throw.

The 28-year-old has shared a love for sport since a young age and started with javelin throwing in Grade 6 after his mom bought him some javelin spikes.

“Javelin spikes were very pricey back then, but the fact that she bought them for me showed me the belief she had in me.”

Being part of Team SA is a privilege for Van Rooyen and was an experience that he “will never take for granted”.

“To be here is amazing. Even walking in the Olympic village is completely surreal and has changed my perspective on sports so much,” he said, speaking from Tokyo.

He added: “It feels like I am in a movie where the most skilled people are bred – like an elite type of mankind.”

Van Rooyen, who will compete on Wednesday, said he’s looking forward to doing his best. “I am setting my sights on getting into the final. Once I’m there, I want to remain level-headed to achieve the goal I’ve set for myself,” he said.

The javelin thrower said he was aiming for a performance of his season’s best of 85.97m, which will bag another medal for South Africa.

“My goal is to get to 90m in the javelin throw and become the world’s best.”

His advice to any aspiring athlete is to stay humble and work hard.

“Many things didn’t work out for me in the past because I was too cocky. Pride comes before the fall – stay humble always.”

Another athlete, Antonio Alkana from Blue Downs, is honoured to represent the country in the men’s hurdles category in Tokyo.

“The Olympics is the highest sporting stage that we can represent our country in,” he said.

The 31-year-old athlete said his experience in Tokyo had been “pretty cool”.

“Having empty stands sucks because crowds add atmosphere to the stadium. Atmosphere or not, I am still here to enjoy the competition and give it my best.” Alkana started doing athletics at Silversands Primary and later at Malibu High, and has been part of the SA Team since 2015.

In 2017, he broke the African record for 110m hurdles with a time of 13.11 seconds, which he still holds today. In his time as an athlete, his biggest challenge has always been to secure funding.

“Preparing yourself for major competitions and funding are not cheap, but I try not to let that distract me from the goals I’ve set for myself.”

Alkana will partake in his sport on Tuesday with the aim of running under 13 seconds in the 110m hurdles and walking away with a medal on the global stage.

“The support I’ve received fuels me to be a better athlete. That, and the passion for athletics.”

Alkana’s advice to aspiring athletes is to always believe in themselves and to set their minds to what they do.

METRO

en-za

2021-08-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-08-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

http://capeargus.pressreader.com/article/281603833508198

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