Mark Ouma olympics Unfazed by her late inclusion into the Olympics squad, Tania Tallie is determined to make her mark in Sydney. A full-time employee in a boat-building business in St Helena Bay in the Western Cape, Tallie has been working for three years to qualify for the Olympics. She achieved her goal just in time for the National Olympic Committee of South Africa’s (Nocsa) training camp for the Sydney-bound team in Durban at the end of June.
Tallie’s twin objectives were to accumulate points at international competitions that would enable her to rank among the International Judo Federation’s (IFJ) top 10 judokas in the extra-lightweight category (48kg). She also had to rank in the top two in her category in Africa. The most critical phase began in January when she competed at a European Olympic qualifying competition in Paris. She fulfilled the first requirement when after the competition the IJF ranked her ninth in the world. She subsequently accumulated more valuable points at IJF-sanctioned competitions in Munich and Vienna in February and March. Returning home, she had to advance to the finals of the Africa championships in Algiers in May to guarantee her passage to Sydney.
At the previous Africa championships in Dakar, Senegal, two years ago, Tallie clinched the silver medal. Last year she had important competitions in Mauritius and Italy before the All Africa Games in Johannesburg.
However, when “Africa gathered”, she slipped and could manage to secure only a bronze medal. “Algiers was the defining moment. It was either make or break, but after the European tour, I had gathered the determination to surmount the final hurdle to Sydney. I gave the championships my best shot but once again I lost in the finals. “My only consolation was that I had achieved the minimum requirements set by Nocsa and Judo South Africa for any judoka to go to Sydney,” said Tallie. National coach Lorraine Job and Justin Durandt of the Sport Science Institute have been working behind the scenes for Tallie’s success for three years. However, it is now more than any other time that she needs them. The Capetonians have combined efforts to finalise preparations for Tallie’s first Olympic appearance. “We had to think and plan ahead of time, and in the short time we had since she was included in the Olympics team, we have put together for her a six-week training stint in London. She has had to take leave from work and will return home on August 23. We expect her to be in peak form in Sydney,” says Job. Durandt, a biokineticist who has monitored Tallie’s physical condition for more than 18 months, had a final session with the athlete prior to her departure for London. Under the watchful eyes of Britain’s top under-20 coach, Leigh Davis, Tallie is training at the High Wycombe Centre where the British Olympics judokas are in camp. “With the limited resources we have I could not accompany Tallie to London. “We are in constant contact. Every Wednesday she has a session with Allen Jones of the British Olympic team. Once a week she attends a session with Roy Inman at Dudokwai Judo Training Centre. “Inman has trained five world champions at this centre. Besides, many of the world’s best judokas converge at the centre for intensive training stints. “The advantage of this arrangement is that it gives Tallie the opportunity to train with the best sparring partners. She will also participate in a couple of build-up competitions. She would not have had these opportunities inside South Africa,” said Job.
Looking ahead, Job says that the Japanese, French and Cuban judokas are the front- runners in the quest for Olympic honours. Nonetheless, she is convinced that her charge has what it takes to rise to the occassion.
South Africa’s lone judoka for the Olympics is cautiously optimistic about her medal prospect in Sydney. “Internationally, there are few judokas who compete in our weight category. In fact, in Sydney we will be only 17 judokas battling for the three medals.
“However, since we are the lightest judokas, speed and agility are of the essence to secure victory. I have not worked for three years merely to be a participant in Sydney,” said Tallie.