There are still uncertainties surrounding the hosting of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics due to the persistence of the COVID 19 pandemic that has left the world seeking for alternatives in all sphere of life.
The Games of the XXXII Olympiad has already been postponed having billed to be earlier held in the summer of 2020, but this has not deterred athletes from getting themselves ready whether by training or gaining appropriate ranking points to be part of the multi-event tournament if the international Olympics committee and the Local organizing committee can guarantee the health safety of the athletes.
On of such athletes is South Africa’s Judo player Michaela Whitebooi, a student of the University of Pretoria studying towards a BCOM Honours Internal Auditing degree. She has in recent past represented South Africa in various international tournaments including winning a gold medal at the All African Games in Morrocco in 2019
In an interview with Tuksport University of Pritoria’s sports website, Michaela talked about her readiness to represent her country and the process of getting there. ” “Ever since I took up judo, my goal was to represent South Africa at the Olympics. Winning the African title is a big boost, but I can’t afford to rest on my laurels. From now to June, the international rankings are continuously going to change. I need at least another 400 ranking points. The plan is to compete in at least four European tournaments. If I can get one good result or consistently perform well, I ought to qualify.”
Michaela is on track to make her Olympics dream come true, She is ranked 34th with 1536 points in the women’s senior under-48kg category of the International Judo Federation – World Ranking List. She hopes to improve her prospects competing in Uzbekistan, Turkey, and Georgia between March to June.