Losing at London 2012 before the judo quarter-finals had even begun was painful in the extreme, Sally Conway admits. The bruises from the pounding took an age to heal.
“A long time,” she reveals. “I finished fighting. I was absolutely gutted. I remember crying so much. I’d stop, then see family and friends, then start again. I was just crying loads. I was so emotional.” It was probably 12 months before the scars had fully healed. “It got better but it was a year – probably once I’d recovered from the shoulder surgery I had – before I was clear.”
If it left the Swindon-born Scot with bittersweet recollections from her Olympic debut, then she will bid to make over her memories when she takes part in the 70kg competition in Rio today.
One day, one opportunity to impress, knowing one defeat could be fatal. It is brutal and unforgiving with little time to refocus or regroup. “It’s like that at every tournament we do so we’re used to it,” Conway affirmed. “There have been plenty of times when I’ve gone to a competition, lost my first fight, and I’m done. But also times when I’ve had five really good fights and it’s been a good day. It is what it is.”
Het best days have included victory at last winter’s Grand Slam in Baku and bronze at the Paris leg of the sport’s global tour this spring, cutting the odds on her following in the footsteps of Gemma Gibbons, her training partner at Ratho, who bullied her way to silver four years ago.
Girls on top, I remark. Conway, whose father runs a judo club where many of her medals now sit on an inspirational display, attests to the power of sisterly empowerment.
“It’s quite good because a lot of girls don’t want to go to a judo club because there are a lot more boys than girls in sport. But for me, I didn’t think about it,” she said. “I only had one other girl in my club but I went for it. My Dad pushed us a long – not in a pushy way – but encouraging us to get out there.
“So when I speak to kids, I tell them to go for it. Because what’s the worst that could happen. If you don’t like it, then try something else. But try it because you might enjoy it. I tell them they get to throw the boys about. But sport brought me out of my shell because you’re talking and working with other people without thinking about the other skills you’re acquiring.”
It has taught her to stand tall and to trust Rio can be where her talent runs deepest. If Conway has deliberately honed her fighting skills since 2012, she has also smoothed the edges of her mind. “I’ve got a bunch of Scrabble letters which spell out ‘Believe Rio 2016’. Another one spells ‘you can do it.’ It’s all really positive.”
She will start off against Tunisia’a Houda Miled in the Round of 32. Then take her best shot and see where it leads. “Whatever happens,” she smiles. “If I lose, as long as I’ve fought the best I could fight and performed as well as I can, I’ll relax then and party.”
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