Tuks Judoka is grateful for everyone who is helping him pursue his Olympic dream

To say that Timothy Meuwsen loves judo is perhaps an understatement; he is absolutely crazy about it.

His big dream, which has been coming for years, is to represent South Africa at the Olympic Games. He knows that achieving this will require hard work and great sacrifices, but this does not deter him. It has become the norm for the Tuks judoka to practice thrice daily for six days.

The hard work is paying off. Meuwsen won a bronze medal in the under-81kg category at the recent African Judo Championships in Abidjan. This has led to him being ranked in the top 100 in his weight division for the first time. He is currently ranked 85th internationally.

Meuwsen describes himself as a sports fanatic.

"Many times at school, when I was sitting in the classroom writing a test, I wished I could be on the sports field instead. Rugby was my first great love. I also played cricket, but I wasn't that good at it.

"Everything changed when a friend invited me to a judo practice with him. I can't explain it, but I kept returning to the judo classes. The more I went, the more I loved doing judo. The sport grew on me. Judo has changed my life.

"The one thing that keeps me going, and I say this from the bottom of my heart, is the people around me. There were times when I had no money to participate in a tournament. But every time, some people took the risk of helping me."

"Special thanks should go to my family, who have never given up on me. My sister and I are adopted. My dad is from the Netherlands, and my mom is from Zimbabwe. Then there is my brother. We call ourselves the 'Rainbow family'."

Since joining Tuks' judo club, Meuwsen has also won a bronze medal at the African Junior Championship and last year's African Games. His big highlight was the gold he won at the African Open in Yaounde in 2022.

"It took a lot of effort to raise the money to participate. After everything was paid, I had R19 in pocket money, but I did not lack motivation. That gold medal will always remain special."

Meuwsen is under no illusions about where he will fall short if he wants to realise his dream of competing in the Games.

"I lack international experience. I am very grateful for the opportunities I get to compete in Africa. However, the reality is that African judo is very different from Europe and Asia. That is why it is important to compete more internationally. At the moment, all I can do to gain experience is to compete in the heavier weight divisions, such as under 90 kg and 100kg," says Meuwsen, who was last beaten in his weight division in South Africa four years ago.