USA vs. South Africa

I advanced to the semifinal and my opponent was a girl from South Africa. Her previous fight was against England and I knew she was going to be a much tougher opponent and I had too many flaws in my last fight. The stakes were higher as the competition was coming to an end. All around I could see the fighters with broken noses, cut eyebrows and foreheads, some were walking in crutches and some (more fortunate) only limping. The emotions were running high and a lot of them had nervous breakdowns. Big men were crying like little boys. I watched a fighter spraying his swollen legs with a special solution that would numb the pain enough to get through the fight. Most teams were sponsored by their governments and they are paid salary for the rest of their lives if they return home with a medal. Therefore pain was only a temporary discomfort.

I wanted to fight well. I wanted to show what kind of fighter I was. I trained with Joe in the hallway in the hotel late evenings to keep my weight in check but mostly make the necessary adjustments. I went through ups and downs but I was ready for a good fight. I knew that if I listen to Joe and execute what he tells me I would not lose the fight. And didn’t lose the fight. I won and I qualified for the final. The South African girl was tough and my shins were injured from blocking her kicks. We both fought a good bout and I have a lot of respect for her. She is a very talented fighter. We ended up exchanging emails and taking pictures together.

I only had that evening to rest and get ready for the next day’s final.