Athlete earns 10 medals at champs
Her performances saw her qualify for national colours.
It is clear that Brakpan Athletic Club’s Azel de Villiers worked hard to compete in the masters’ athletics champs.
The athlete brought home 10 medals from the African Masters Championships in Pretoria last weekend. She won gold in the shot put, silver in six events and bronze in three events.
“It was extremely hot but amazing,” she said of the meet.
De Villiers has put on great performances since she decided to compete in the masters’ category in 2018.
“It’s my passion. I’ve always loved athletics,” she said.
Her performances on the weekend saw her qualify for national colours, and she will wear the badge on the blazer with pride.
“I’m happy I qualified,” she told the Herald.
“I don’t know what’s next. I don’t know if I’ll be able to compete overseas. The world champs are overseas, but they cost a lot of money, and Athletics South Africa (ASA) doesn’t sponsor or offer financial support, so we have to pay our own way.
“It will be a challenge. But it (African Championships) was special this year because we hosted it, so we got to compete internationally.”
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She does not, however, completely rule out the idea of competing overseas one day.
“If I ever get the opportunity to have a sponsor or something to take me overseas for world champs, it would be like a dream come true,” she said.
That dream is clearly in mind as the track and field star ensures she trains after work.
“We are not sponsored, so we still have to have our jobs and then go home to train afterwards. I live on a plot with a lot of space, so I do a lot of training in my backyard.
“I try to do that in the afternoons before dark because it’s not possible to train when it gets dark. When it gets dark, I try and do some strength and conditioning training,” she said.
