Crystal is en-route to Rio

Local Supersport presenter, Crystal Arnold will be attending one of the most anticipated events on the international calendar.

The Pretoria-born sports fanatic will be located at the heart of the noise that is the Olympic Games 2016 in Rio. “When a place is regarded as one of the most visited cities in the world, that’s when I get excited,” said Crystal.

“And Rio is one of those. Over 1 800 00 visitors head to the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro every year – and I’ll be one of them. It’s times like these, I am happy to be a statistic

She said she envisions colour, samba, music and non-stop energy in a city that is truly alive and will be taken to an even higher level of intensity when the world arrives for the 31st Olympic Games.

Arnold is well-known for being a SuperSport presenter, covering cricket, football and the Olympic Games, among other ground work, both locally and internationally.

“I love the winning mentality that says you may be in competition with the athlete next to you – but your biggest competition is always yourself, and the biggest challenge is to beat your personal best. If that happens to be a world record or gold medal performance, that’s your next challenge. The great athletes say, ‘Beat that!’ to themselves before thinking about their rivals,” she mentioned.

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Arnold believes that her previous experiences covering the Olympics in London and Beijing will only heighten her time in Rio, where new memories will be made.

Looking back, she reflected, “Some of my best Olympic memories are of London’s Opening Ceremony and Beijing’s four-hour opening ceremony featuring 15 000 performers. This left me breathless and speechless.”

Very active in her own career, Arnold sets time apart from sports glamour and digs her heels in by uplifting local communities in South Africa. One of her most treasured activities is collecting food supplies and making hampers for those in need in the rural areas across the country.

Arnold mentioned that her demanding career, relentless determination and well-formed strategic movements as a sports journalist were the result of breaking down mediocre thought patterns, which she identified and conquered as a young adult.

With this, she is most grateful that South Africa will be one of 206 nations represented at the Games.

“In all, the Olympic Games is not only the biggest sporting event in the world. For me personally, it’s a rollercoaster ride of emotion, the greatest testament to human potential. It restores my faith in hard work, in determination and the power of the mind,” she concluded.