Conway aims to bury her London pain in Glasgow
GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY: SCOTTISH judo medal hope Sally Conway is determined she can make up for the ‘tiny mistake’ that cost her glory at London 2012 by becoming a Commonwealth champion.
The 27-year-old was quietly fancied for a medal before she crashed out of the Olympics in the second round two years ago, but believes she has improved enough to finally grab glory in the 70kg category.
Taking time out of a hectic training schedule to meet young people from Glasgow’s Active East sports volunteering project, Conway spoke of her judo targets.
‘I’ve got a few goals and one of them is to become Commonwealth champion,’ said the Bristol-born judoka.
‘In this sport, anything can happen. You could win or lose in the first few seconds.
‘But I’m going out there with the best preparation and, hopefully, a clear idea of what I’m going to do in each fight.
‘If I do everything I’ve been training on, then the margins of error will be reduced.’
After a 10-day training camp in Belarus and with a slog to Russia for a Grand Slam tournament between now and the Games — not to mention her HNC and HND Fitness studies — you would forgive Conway for taking a rest.
But, with the World Championships coming up in August, she is using the prospect of performing in front of a Scottish crowd in Glasgow to drive her on.
‘The buzz about the place is going to be unreal. Everyone I’ve talked to has asked about the pressure but I’m really looking forward to it,’ she said.
‘I was in London, and the support the British fans gave Team GB was amazing. Glasgow and the Scottish supporters will give just as much or even better.’
Scotland took an impressive 10 medals in 2002 — the last time judo was a part of the Commonwealths — heaping pressure on the current martial arts stars to perform this year, with 14 medals up for grabs.
And Conway explains that the Scotland-England team split for the Games helps spur on the athletes.
‘We’ve got full training with all the GB fighters this weekend and, so close to the Games, there’s definitely an underlying rivalry there, but I think it’s all healthy.
‘Team Scotland are in a great mood and I’m sure we’ll be one of the stronger squads. England and Canada are also strong competitors.
‘The draw isn’t out until the night before the first session (July 23), but I’ve got an idea of who’s going to be in my category.
‘Hopefully, we come away with a lot of medals, just like in 2002.’
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