Terry hopes to wrestle his way to a gold medal
Having started wrestling at a young age, Terry van Rensburg (23) is set on bringing home a gold medal when he competes at the Commonwealth Games at the Gold Coast in Australia in April this year.
POLOKWANE – Terry spoke to BONUS about his passion for wrestling and how he was able to become a champion in the sport.
“Just like any other child, I loved to play outside with other children and I didn’t really care much about sport but wrestling was different for me.
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“I was introduced to wrestling at the age of nine by my dad’s friend whose son was already actively involved in wrestling,” he explained.
The 19-time South African champion in wrestling is an affiliated member of the Ion Baciu Wrestling Academy in Polokwane and explained that he not only enjoys the sport, but appreciates the discipline, sportsmanship and leadership skills that it teaches him.
“There are various benefits of participating in wrestling such as travelling the world and learning about different cultures and religions worldwide. Wrestling also teaches work ethics, self-control and self-esteem.”
Terry holds a qualification in electrical engineering and is currently working in a temporary position at a wholesaler in the city.
Aside from the 19 SA titles to his name, Terry holds two African wrestling titles. He was the 2010 youth Commonwealth champion and won fifth place at the Commonwealth Games in Scotland in 2014.
“I enjoy the hard workouts as well as the discipline and respect wrestling teaches me. I don’t set long term goals for myself, I set a goal and then work hard towards achieving it. My current goal is to bring home the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.”
