Having her mind set on trying to qualify for next year's Olympic Games in Tokyo meant that the TuksKarate coach, Meghan Booyens, had no choice but to learn how to multitask.

There are times when she would give anything for that one extra hour to do what needs to be done; however, you will never find her complaining. Karate is truly her passion. It is when she is on the mats training and coaching are when she is at her happiest. 

"To become a world-class athlete, I have to push my limits every day and have developed incredible self-discipline and commitment. The problem is - silver or bronze medals just aren't good enough for me. I want to be a champion," explains Booyens, who abides by a philosophy of hard work beats talent if talent doesn't work hard.

Her dedication has led to her winning a bronze medal at last year's African Championships. She is hoping to go one better next week when again competing against the continent's best in Gaborone, Botswana. A good result will considerably boost her chance to qualify for the Games; however, she is the first to admit she probably will need at least one or two more results going her way during the next ten months. 

According to her to excel as a karateka requires not only fitness and a sound technique but the ability to think on one's feet. There should be a good reason for each punch thrown or kick to the body. A good karateka is someone who can pre-empt what an opponent is going to do and immediately counter-attack. 

As with most South African athletes competing in the smaller sporting codes, Booysen's biggest frustration is getting the funding to compete internationally. 

"The only way I can improve is to test myself against more experienced karateka continuously, which means I got to compete internationally. So far this year I have been to competitions in Dubai, Istanbul and Shanghai but it is not enough." 

Booysen's other goal is as a coach to help establish TuksKarate to become genuinely competitive in local tournaments. The past weekend Tuks competed at the USSA Tournament in Grahamstown winning four gold medals, 1 silver and 5 bronze.

Under the circumstances, Booyens is satisfied, but she believes that there is room for improvement.

The Tuks karateka who medalled are Wenette Jordaan (gold - kumite and gold kata); Minet Uys (gold - kumite and bronze kata); Liam Meyer (silver - kumite), Cullen Elson (bronze - kumite), Greg Cohen (bronze - kumite); Jesse Sim (gold - kata). 

The Tuks men's and women's teams won bronze in the team competition.