BRITISH judoka Ashley McKenzie can see an Olympic medal every time he visits his fiancee's house – now he and wants a top-three finish in Rio to ensure he begins married life with one of his own.
The 27-year-old is engaged to France's Automne Pavia, a bronze medallist at London 2012 in the under-57kg category, and the two will tie the knot and move in together in Toulouse next July.
Pavia is also the current European champion and is well placed to attain more glory in Brazil, though McKenzie, who concedes he is an anxious onlooker whenever his other half is in action, is keen to decorate their home with an Olympic award of his own.
"It's her one, I'm not about living through her," McKenzie said. "It's about me making my dream come true and it's not a dream any more, it's reality, I can make this happen. For her, I'm going to hope for the best and hopefully I have a gold one to go next to her bronze one."
McKenzie's entire Games in the under-60kg division will start and finish on August 6, leaving him free to watch Pavia's own Olympic quest two days later.
And while he claims he always wins if they are play-fighting over the television remote at home, he adds proudly: "I can't see her losing to many girls in the Olympics.
"I am the fiancee who just chills back and watches. I'm the nervous type, my heart's beating four times as fast and I don't know if I'm coming or going. I'll just be sitting behind her family, closing my eyes and crossing my fingers."
Even being at his second Olympics is an achievement for McKenzie, who was diagnosed with ADHD growing up and admits that he would "be in prison" now had he not found the sport.
He stumbled upon it after being impressed by a kid who overthrew him for his Pokemon card when he was 11, though McKenzie has so far avoided the temptation to be lured in by the game's resurgence via the app 'Pokemon Go'.
"After the Olympics I will download it," he said. "I've not downloaded it purely for the fact I've got to concentrate on my job and not catching Brazilian Pokemon!"
From Team GB's seven-strong judo squad, McKenzie is one of three returning for a second Games along with Sally Conway and Colin Oates.
His first experience in London ended in a second-round defeat to eventual silver medallist Hiroaki Hiraoka, although even reaching that stage took him by surprise given his struggles to find acceptance.
"London was a bit harder for me, I didn't think I was going to go," he said.
"I was banned three or four times, I didn't get along with some of them. I didn't think my face suited it but I was the best, they had to select me.
"When I knew I was going it was a shock - a little kid from Queen's Park going to the Olympics in London. I think I took two buses to get there with my Oyster card. The excitement of that was overwhelming.
"Even now I struggle to get on with people but I've learned to use all the bad energy and channel it in to what I'm good at and I'm not bad at judo!"
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