Luxolo Adams excited for Olympic debut after injury heartbreak

Specialising in the 200m event, Adams has competed in two World Athletics Championships, but has yet to participate in the Olympics due to injury setbacks.

Having recently been unveiled by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) as part of Team SA, Adams is eagerly anticipating his first taste of the world’s biggest multi-sport event in July/August.

"It's been mainly because every year I've been injured, and my team and I have tried to manage that. I expanded my team this year, and I have three extra guys in my team now to also assist me to ensure I'm ready now for the Olympic Games," said Adams.

"It took me so long because I was getting injuries and I didn't have a good [support] team back then.

"The first one [Tokyo 2020], I didn't qualify, obviously, and then this is the second one since I've turned professional, but I have been to the last two World Champs, so I am used to the competition.

"But because this is my first Olympics, I'm looking forward to the competition and also achieving what we have ben praying for and working hard towards."

The 27-year-old former 200m national champion reveals the difficulty he faced in watching his teammates compete in previous Olympics on television, while he was unable to partake.

"Obviously I wasn't happy with my performance or the injury that I had, I was going through a lot, and for me not to be there and watching other guys compete in a space where I knew I belong, I was hurt," said Adams.

"So we expanded my team to say, 'Let's work on Lux's mental side of things; let's work on Lux's medical side of things, so that he can one day maybe go to the next Olympics and achieve what he wants to achieve.'"

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