Third time lucky, Edinburgh resident Sarah Adlington has been selected for her Olympic debut at the age of 34.
The Edinburgh judo fighter missed out on London and Rio over the years but has now succeeded at her third attempt and will be one of six British judokas going for gold in Tokyo this summer.
Adlington believes those previous near-misses, although heart-breaking, are what got her where she is today, saying "what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and I’m a much better athlete than I was back then.
“It’s everything I’ve been working for so to be here now feels amazing, I’m buzzing. The hard work has paid off.”
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Adlington went on to say: “It’s been a long time coming with a lot of ups and downs along the way but to be sat here today officially part of Team GB feels amazing.”
“I was always confident in my ability but I’ve missed out before – I missed out by one place for qualification in Rio.
“I’ve been in similar situations before and it’s not gone the way I wanted so there’s always that anxiety when you start to go again that you don’t want history to repeat itself. Luckily for me, it didn’t."
Before her place on the Tokyo Olympics line-up, Adlington’s shining career highlights include a Commonwealth Games Gold in 2014 while representing Scotland.
As for all of us, Covid-19 has affected Adlington's preparation plans, forcing her to spend more time than usual in hotel rooms. Nonetheless, Adlington hopes to thrive when she steps onto the big stage once more, whether there are supporters allowed in or not.
“Outside the competition, everything that comes with it is massive,” said Adlington. “But when you step on the mat, it’s the same thing we’ve done all our career.
“It’s now just about enjoying the ride, shutting out the noise, and focusing on delivering when you step on the mat.
“You get tunnel vision, it’s just you against them whether there’s a crowd or not. If I have a day where I produce what I’m capable of, hopefully I’ll be sat here with a medal.”
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