Amilcar Thobejane had set herself two goals for 2020. One is to finish her final year medical studies and the other to help the Tuks women's football team win a tournament. 

But things quickly became complicated due to the international coronavirus outbreak. 

"I was working in the Kalefong Hospital's orthopaedic ward we were told to pack up and go home. My first reaction was 'oh no, this can't be happening. I want to finish my studies so I can start to work as a doctor'." 

"I will admit to being despondent at first. Then I realised what is happening might be a once in a lifetime occurrence. As a medical student, I got a responsibility to learn as much as I can while it is happening. Making a mindset change certainly helped.

"For the last few weeks, I made a point of it to read everything I could on the outbreak. If something like this should happen again, I want to play my part in saving lives."

Thobejane admits being fascinated as to why so few South Africans are affected by the virus. She has come across some interesting theories, but nothing seems too conclusive.

The one thing that inspires her is the University of Pretoria medical lectures that are currently in the frontline battling the virus. She views them as real heroes. Especially as on any given day, there are no guarantees to their safety. 

Thobejane's objective is to specialise as an orthopaedic surgeon. Sports medicine is her true passion. Already during training, her teammates are approaching 'Doc' for advice. 

As a football player Thobejane has gained firsthand knowledge of the dangers of trying to be an onfield hero by resorting to try and play through pain. Shortly after last year's Varsity Tournament, she injured her knee. She did not pay any heed to it. Things progressively got worse.

By the time she represented Tuks at the USSA Tournament, she was limping badly. Things got so bad that she was hardly ably to play. Afterwards, it was established she had torn the meniscus of her knee. To her frustration, she is still sidelined. What happened is a lesson well learned.

Thobejane has, however, made a pledge to herself that she will play for Tuks before the year-end. She has got a good reason to be so motivated. It is the last year she is eligible to do so. 

For this reason, she is making the most of the lockdown. On most days, she is running up and down the stairs of the apartment building where she is staying. She is also able to train on the rooftop of the building often finetuning her ball-handling skills as well as doing various other exercises.

"The ultimate will be if I can help the Tuks women's team win a tournament. That is to say, if we get an opportunity to play this year."