How Michaela Whitebooi took charge of Olympic Games prep

Among those changes is taking the lead in choosing a training partner compared to when she was merely consulted during the Tokyo event three years ago. 

The 27-year-old explained the process. 

"There was a training partner involved and I selected someone, but this time around, the choice solely comes from me and not from involving parties," said Whitebooi.

"In Tokyo there were involving parties in who I needed to choose, and now it was based on myself. I think this time around, because I know what a training partner needs to be and do, I know who I wanted to go with me.

"Because the person needs to be making me happy, making my coach happy, and not be lazy because they're going to fall, they're going to train and take a lot of pictures, and do everything that I say they must do."

She elaborated further on why this could be a game-changer. 

"It's very important because your training partner, from the get-go, leaving SA to going to Paris, in the training, being with the coach, that person needs to make you happy," she added.

"When you are down, and you are tired, they need to pick you up and also need to calm the coach down, calm you down, so it's almost like the middle man – if I could say that, and also need to be able to carry the load of training and falling."

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