Geannè Dicks itches to get back into the ring

Geannè Dicks isn’t sitting at home despondent about the level four regulations and her inability to get into the ring.
She’s taken this time as a gift.
Before this, Dicks had thought she was only going make it to the Olympics in 2024 in Paris.
But now, fate in the form of covid-19 has given her more time to prepare and get herself in the best possible position to qualify for Tokyo.
“I don’t need to wait four years to reach my dream anymore.
“I can do it next year,” says Dicks.
The qualification for the Olympics is by no means an easy process and places rigorous demands on boxers’ bodies, but Dicks is prepared for every step and is not afraid of hard work.
Her participation in the Africa Youth Games 2020 remains in doubt as the sporting world remains in limbo as a result of covid-19.

Also read: Minnet Dicks, future Olympic champion

Dicks has been keeping fit by practising at home with her sister, Minnet, and doing her road work, so she is match-fit once lockdown is lifted.
The 17-year-old boxer initially got into the sport because she was bullied when she was younger and lacked self-confidence.
The sport also fascinated her as her grandmother, Jeanette Dyzel, is a respected referee and coach and her father, Freddie, is also a coach.
Despite her background, Dicks says she never felt any pressure to become a boxer and thinks her love of the sport and coaches is why she has excelled in the ring.
So far, Dicks says the hardest thing she’s had to overcome was her first fight where she was very nervous and shed a few tears.
Since then, Dicks has risen though the ranks and won her first SA championship in December 2015 and has won the title multiple times since.
Winning, she says, has had its drawbacks.
“The more I win, the less people want to fight me,” says Dicks.

Also read: Jeanette Dyzel, a trailblazer for women in boxing

As the current gold medalist in the 64kg-69kg women’s category, Dicks knows she has a target on her back and is the girl every boxer wants to beat.
The thought of more women coming into the sport and gunning for her title is something that makes Dicks happy.
“Every girl should take up boxing.
“It’s good for self-defence and their confidence.
“We need more female boxers and for the sport to grow; our fights should be broadcast on TV,” says Dicks.
This, she says, will also help dispel the misconceptions people have about the sport.
For now though, Dicks is trying to get through matric at Hoërskool Die Anker and qualify for university, where she hopes to study to become a primary school teacher.

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