Back wiser from Rio

SIMONE Conley returned with an abundance of knowledge that she had accumulated at the recently held 2016 Rio Olympics Games.

Conley, who resides in Meyersdal, returned home much wiser than when she has left for this year’s lympics Games, which were held in Rio de Janeiro in August.

The University of Johannesburg biokineticist and physical trainer of Banyana Banyana national team was part of the coaching team. She considered this to be the best learning curve of her career and came back with confidence in the country’s sporting future.

Banyana Banyana, the u.23 national women’s team, once again could not advance to the next round of the soccer as in the Sydney Games in 2000, but managed a draw against the host nation Brazil in their last match of the tournament.

Conley felt the exposure to international competition at this level would benefit South African football.

“At the next Games the team will be in a more favourable position because they will know what to expect and so will the technical team.

“This will allow for even better results and possibly even a medal,” said the 28-year-old Alberton local, who was closely involved in the team’s preparation and, of course, supported her sister, Alyssa, who competed in the 100m and 200m.

She said her role included the periodisation of the preparation camps and planning training sessions with coaches.

“I was also responsible for the fitness level of the team and final phase injury rehabilitation. They would have liked to have done a lot more, but Fifa dates and budget constraints did not allow for that.”

“We cannot prepare for just one year and expect to compete and win against the best, who have been working towards winning a gold medal for the last four years.”

However, Conley, who runs the biokinetics clinic at UJ, believes in the team’s potential.

“We have an exceptional group of players with a lot of talent that South Africa will still see as they grow in their careers.”

“Being part of the Olympic Games became real when I entered the village. Mingling with the cream of the crop in the world of sport was bliss. The learning experience is ongoing as I will reflect on the performance of our team and the other teams and compare what we did to their preparation.”

The former badminton and netball player said she would also analyse other sports codes for her personal development.

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