Anaso aims to beat the best

INTERNATIONAL South African sprinter Anaso Jobodwana firmly believes he has what it takes to defeat Usain Bolt one day.

Jobodwana showed flashes of his potential at the World Championships in Beijing in August, running alongside Bolt in the 200m to eventually collect bronze. Bolt finished first.

To achieve his goal the 23-year-old athlete, of Phakamisa in King William’s Town, knows he has to improve his speed.

“My overall speed is not where it should be and that is something that I need to work on. I also need to work on my mechanics.

“I am still looking rough when I am running. My acceleration pattern still needs work as well.

“I also need to work on getting a little bit bigger because I need to have more muscle. That means I have to eat more, eat bigger portions, eat regularly and not skip any meals.

“I am going to work on all those things going forward.”

Jobodwana said taking part in the London Olympics in 2012 had a huge effect on his career.

“I’ve learnt how to handle myself in front of thousands of people and how to handle pressure.

“I have also learnt how to build myself mentally to always be ready. Those are the things I have taken back from every season I have been part of.

“It’s been working and hopefully for the Rio Olympics I can build even more on that.”

He said he hadn’t started preparing for Rio yet as he was still enjoying his off-season, but he would be back on the track in two weeks’ time.

Jobodwana, who is now based in Phoenix, Arizona, said running against Bolt and Justin Gatlin was not nerve-racking anymore.

“Running against Bolt and Gatlin is normal now. You get past that hype and after that you just tell yourself you can compete against them.

“I don’t really think about it that much, that I am competing against high-profile athletes. I always try to put in my best effort when I run against them.”

Jobodwana said he had not set any goals for himself for the Olympics next year.

“I don’t have goals yet. I haven’t sat down with my coach but I want to be a medal contender. That is my goal right now.

“As the season progresses we will figure out where I want to be.”

He said his move to Phoenix was a personal one as he wanted to take part in National Collegiate Athletic Association events.

“I just felt for me to progress I needed to go to the United States and it has worked well for me so far.”