Firstly, to be able to represent your country is a massive honour but to be able to do it at an Olympics is something that was truly humbling & such a privilege.

The build up towards the Olympics in Tokyo required such sacrifice from each individual in the
squad. I think it was so rewarding to see how each player added his value to the greater good & to
achieve our objectives. Our squad comprised of many different backgrounds, religions, races &
journey’s so when we got together a few weeks before departing for Tokyo, it was really special to
witness how the boys rallied together & strived to meet the goals we set - dropping all egos, we were determined to put our country on the map! It was during COVID & I remember the amount of frustration & anxiety that we had as a collective as we did not know if the Olympics would happen & if it did
happen, we knew it would not be your regular Olympic experience.

I was included into the traveling reserves for Team South Africa - & that alone was a mental battle. Because of COVID, the rules for the tournament changed a few days before the start, where the coaching staff were able to rotate the squad per game. This then allowed me to compete in 5/6 games, which was something that would not have happened if that rule did not change. So prior to
that rule changing, I always trained hard but it was just to better the first 16 players that were going to play. I remember the mental struggle I use to go through before sessions; knowing I will not play but still being “locked in” to try make sure the other players get a good training. This meant I had to be on my best regardless of the fact that I was a traveling reserve. So looking back at the beginning of the
process & how the rules changed, I was truly blessed to get that opportunity - & once I got 1 game at the
Olympics, I was determined to continue to put in good performances to remain in the final 16 for year
game

Personally, it was my first Olympics & I had to try get mentally prepared to be in a village with top sportsman/sportswoman - sounds absolutely ridiculous but you are in close proximity with individuals you watch on TV & those individuals inspire & full your love for your craft. For example, I remember sitting in the dining hall & in walked Luka Doncic.

For those of you that don’t know, he is arguably one of the best NBA basketball players in the world. I
remember taking photos with Marco Asensio, a Real Madrid player as well as Dani Alves, an ex Barcelona player. These are sportsman that are in the top tier of their craft so I guess it is only usual that one looks up to them. So in conclusion, I had to mentally stay engaged & not get side-tracked with all the famous people around me but remind myself to remained focused on the task that we as a team set.

As the tournament progressed, our team started turning heads and it was truly humbling to see the
amount of traction we caught as a team. We had that emphatic result against Germany, where we
beat them & created history for our country. We ended up falling just short of a top 8 as we drew to Canada in our last game but the experience of the whole event was undoubtably something I will truly cherish.

As we look forward to the Paris Olympics, we know that the journey will require a lot of sacrifice again.
The road will be long. It will be mentally, physically & emotionally tough but I think as Team South Africa, we left a few rocks unturned at Tokyo.

We are adamant to make sure that we pick up from where we left o & continue to leave
our countries badge in a better position