Johannesburg - To survive – whether it’s the gang-ridden Westbury, multilingual academies or just to peel away from defenders – Keagan Dolly has used his lightning-fast speed to escape trouble.
When that isn't enough, he mimics his surroundings like a chameleon so that he doesn't stick out. Dolly combined those two skills after leaving his home in Westbury as a 12-year-old for the School of Excellence where his speed was among the things that helped him to impress.
To survive there, he learnt to speak isiZulu and seSotho which were the predominantly spoken languages. It wasn’t something out of the ordinary for the 23-year-old because the environment he grew up in forced him to have high survival instincts.”Back then Westbury was tough,” Dolly said.
“You would see things. And it makes you stronger and builds your character. It enhances your survival instincts. I was lucky to leave Westbury at 12. That helped me because who knows what could have been of me. I saw lots of violence there, lots of crime with people getting robbed and I heared gun shots almost daily. But that was back then; now Westbury is much more chilled and everything is settled down.”
Dolly himself has also settled down.He is excelling in the numerous roles he plays, whether it's with Mamelodi Sundowns in their African sojourn or the Olympics-bound national Under-23 team and even Bafana Bafana. He struggled though in his first attempt at excelling for the country's senior national team in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sudan in 2014.
He admitted that he wasn’t ready. But he was bold enough to leave Ajax Cape Town, where he was a big fish in a small pond, for the Brazilians where he had to compete with the big boys.
He didn’t “sink” in the Sundowns 'shark tank' because the national Under-23 team became his life-jacket just before he started the season with Sundowns. He scored three goals in two games in the Olympics qualifiers against Zimbabwe to raise his confidence. High in confidence, he had a stellar season with Sundowns.
He also helped the Under-23s qualify for the Olympics and settled in at Bafana Bafana. “I will always be grateful for the opportunity that I got with the Under-23s when I got that call-up,” Dolly said.
“It really helped me a lot when I came to Sundowns. But Sundowns is also helping me a lot to prepare for the Olympics. The Champions League is good preparation for the Olympics. That’s why I have given my best whenever I am needed by both teams because they both helped me grow. I felt conflicted when I had to choose one over the other but thankfully both coaches (Owen da Gama and Pitso Mosimane) came to an arrangement that saw me help my club in the Champions League and play in the Olympics for the national team.”
On Sunday night he featured for Sundowns in their Champions League tie against Zamalek in Cairo. When he returns to the country he will re-unite with his Under-23 teammates whom he will captain in the Olympics in Brazil.
His involvement with Sundowns saw him miss the Cosafa Cup which the Under-23s won and a friendly in Japan where they were hammered.”The armband puts a lot of pressure on you,” Dolly said.
“It’s good pressure though. I have always led wherever I have played.”
He still leads wherever he plays, just in different ways. He wears the armband with the Under-23s and is their talisman. He leads Sundowns’ attack as part of the much-heralded CBD, the deadly trio comprising himself, Leonardo Castro and Khama Billiat.
It’s an intricate balancing act that the 23-year-old is doing, showing his good survival skills. He doesn’t even complain about the extensive travelling and heavy load he has to carry. – The Star