Sisters are doing it for themselves

LOUISE and Kimberley Renicks are delighted they won’t have to fight one another for a medal.

The sisters are competing in different judo weight categories, thanks to a bout of tonsillitis.

A sore throat helped Kimberley kick her sugar-laden fizzy lemonade habit.

The 26-year-old says:“I moved down to -48kg because at the Olympics only one person could go.

“We found that out in 2008, and realised it would be the same with the Commonwealths as well.

“I went to Judo Scotland, and got all the tests done to make sure I could make the weight and still be healthy.

“When I was a child, I used to eat quite a lot of sweets and I still liked a treat when I started training seriously.

“You can still treat yourself – but not five times a week

“Instead of drinking a two-litre bottle of fizzy juice, I’d have a can.

“I did all that and the weight came off pretty fast.

“I had to get my tonsils out that

Louise and Kimberley Renicks. year as well because I kept getting tonsillitis. So it kind of helped me because it stopped me from having my sugary drinks.”

Kimberley admits it’s a relief to approach competitions with no chance of facing her 31-year-old sister.

She says:“We’d always be on opposite sides of the draw, meaning if one us made a mistake and lost, we would be fighting each other for a bronze.

“At least if we got to a Final together, we would both be winning a medal, but because Louise was the bigger sister, she always won.”

Louise, who competes in the -52kg category, says they’ve made a conscious effort not to change things in the run-up to their home Games.

She says:“Normally we go away to another country and prepare but, because we’re here, it’s not just been magnified by 10 or 20 – it’s more like a million!

“So you’re trying to keep things as normal as you can, and we keep a scrapbook of the journey we’re going through.

“If we don’t keep the preparation the same, then it’s going to feel different from any other competition.”