Women in Sport: Doing it properly … one last time

A year ago, Gillian Sanders was considering calling time on her career, but after a cracking season-opener on home soil she decided to keep going.

Now, as she heads into a new Olympic season, a rejuvenated Sanders hopes to retain her place as the country’s top female triathlete by putting up a fight at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

“It has been a bit of an up-and-down year,” the 38-year-old athlete admitted this week from her base in London.

It started well, however, after she finished fifth at the World Cup race in Cape Town in February, and that was all she really needed to regain the hunger that had kept her driven throughout her lengthy career.

Sanders went on to win the African Championships in Mauritius in June, securing the continental title for the seventh time after holding off a challenge from compatriot Simone Ackermann.

While she fell ill at a World Series mixed relay race in Tokyo in August, she had since fully recovered and was excited to enter the new season feeling fit and healthy.

Though she had spent most of her career as a solo athlete, Sanders decided to make a change for the 2020 season by
linking up with Portuguese coach Paulo Sousa, who was based in the United States.

Next week she was set to join Sousa’s camp for pre-season preparation, and she looked forward to training as part of an elite group for the first time.

“This probably will be my last Olympics, so I’ve decided if I’m going to do this, then let’s go and do this properly,” said Sanders, who was born in Pietermaritzburg and holds a law degree from Stellenbosch University.

“I’ve made some significant changesand I feel really excited and rejuvenated. I think change is as good as a holiday, so I’m really looking forward to next year.”

Though she was lying outside the required ranking to earn a ticket to the Tokyo Olympics, Sanders was confident she would achieve the qualifying points she needed in the first half of the 2020 season.

And while she was eager to shine in the individual race at the Games, where she aimed to finish in the top 10 and give herself an outside chance of grabbing a medal, she felt her best chance of stepping on the podium was in the mixed team relay.

Sanders, who formed part of the national relay team that earned silver at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, admitted the SA squad had not found their best form this year, with Henri Schoeman, Richard Murray and Ackermann all struggling to hit top gear.

She nonetheless believed they would be able to bounce back and put up a fight.

“We just need to make sure we all qualify, but the relay is really exciting because anything can happen, and if we’re in top shape we have a very strong team,” she said.

“If everyone is fit and healthy, I think we have a medal chance.”

For more sport your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.