It is said that “the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time”, which is precisely what Arno van Zijl plans on doing during the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

But don’t get him wrong. The Tuks wrestler is not planning to go on an eating marathon. It is just that he has a plan of how to go about trying to medal during the Games.

“To put it another way, the only way to win a marathon is to run stride for stride. It does not help to worry about the hill at the 10km marker or how hot it will be towards the race’s latter stages. You deal with every obstacle as it arises,” the 19-year-old wrestling star explains.

That is why, from the first minute he steps onto the mats in Birmingham, only one thing will matter for Van Zijl – scoring points.  Because if you get points, there is always a chance of winning. It does not help to worry about how many fights you got to win to medal or against whom you are competing.

“My dad once told me every opponent has got two arms, two legs, and a head. He meant that with every fight, the playing field is level. Sometimes an opponent might be physically stronger or tactically savvier. But if you can keep your cool, there is always a way to neutralise their strengths,” he remarked.

According to the South African senior and junior under-74kg champion, the one important lesson he has learned is finding a balance between confidence and overconfidence.

“It helps to have a bit of jitter before a fight as it gets the adrenaline pumping. But if you too nervous, you tend to make mistakes. The same goes for confidence. I had lost fights because I was too cocky, thinking I had won before the battle started. But don’t undersell yourself. If you aim only to win a bronze medal, there is a real chance of finishing 10^th,” Van Zijl said philosophically.

For him, a definite highlight this season was winning a bronze medal at the African Senior Championships in Morocco.

“I won three of my four fights without conceding any points. I lost one fight because I was not focused enough. I have learned from that mistake,” he said.

Van Zyl plans to fly from Birmingham to Bulgaria to compete at the World Junior Championships.

“It will be my first and last opportunity to compete at the World Junior Championships. I want to do what no South African wrestler has yet been able to do, which is win gold. It means I will have to be at my utmost best,” he concluded.

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram