Rio de Janeiro - Four years after making a dream-debut in London 2012, Anaso Jobodwana is ready to top it with a medal at the Rio Olympic Games on Tuesday.
When he gets into the blocks at the Olympic Stadium it will be the first time in almost a year as he looks to build on the success at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing.
“To get a medal, it’s audacious but I just can’t come here just to participate and I don’t think I would have come here if I felt I wasn’t ready to contend for a medal,” Jobodwana said.
“I’m just going ot test my limits and try to have no limits in terms of these Games and see where it goes.”
Jobodwana won the world 200m bronze medal in a new national record time of 19.87 seconds becoming only second South African to dip below 20 seconds.
Osteitis pubis, inflammation of the pubic bone of the pelvis, threatened his dream of racing at his second Olympic Games which left him sidelined for months as he underwent intense rehabilitation.
Jobodwana had since been declared fit and ready to once again take on the best half-lap sprinters in the world including Jamaican world record holder Usain Bolt.
“Last time I was here i didn’t really take in the experience because I was young, and I was kinda scared of everything,” Jobodwana said.
“But when I came here I told myself to take in the experience and soak it all in my coach also told me it is one of those opporunities that don’t happen a lot of times so I just need to make sure I take in the whole experience and just feel the culture and be around the people.”
Making his Olympic debut as a 20-year-old Jobodwana surprised by making it into the Olympic final in London finishing in eight place in a race won by Bolt.
On the eve of that final Jobodwana had a calm demeanour about him despite the daunting task that lay ahead.
Jobodwana admitted he was ominously calm ahead of his race even though he was pining to get into the blocks for his first race in months.
“I’m actually really excited to be running. i have never been so relaxed in my life, it actually makes me worried a little bit,” Jobodwana said.
“There’s no pressure, which is something that I like. Just not knowing where I was going to be three months ago, I had already put myself out of the Olympics.”
Months out from the Olympics Jobodwana face uncertainty over whether he would be ready for the Rio Games thanks to the persistent injury.
After he had been give the all clear he has made steady progress while doing race simulations during training.
“I’ve been doing time trials pretty much the last six weeks and my training sessions have been built on hitting times, so 150s, 200m simulations, just trying to get the feel off the bend,” Jobodwana said.
“The last two weeks have been really good, I think one of the sessions, I was kind of sceptical about it, but the coach said I was 20.0 shape and then last week I kinda hit a 20.0 run so now it’s just up to me to simulate it in the arena.”
Should Jobodwana be able to emulate that kind of times over the next few days he could easily in for another shot at a podium spot. This time at the Olympic Games.
Independent Media