Szandra Szogedi travels continents for Olympic qualification

Updated by samuel Ayivi April ,29, 2015

With less than 17 months to the Rio Olympic Games, Ghana judoka Szandra Szogedi is leaving no stone unturned to qualify for the biggest global sports event.

From her base in Camberley, UK, she has travelled to two different continents in an attempt to amass enough points for Rio.

Szogedi, whose husband-Alex Amoako- is Ghanaian making her eligible to compete for the country, won a precious bronze medal at the African Judo Championship in Libreville, Gabon on Saturday, 25^th April.

She posted a comment on Facebook moments later expressing her delight at the outcome.

“I won bronze medal today at the continental championships which is one of the most important tournament towards the Rio Olympic Games,” she said.

“A step closer to the big dream. I would like to thank my club - Camberley Judo Club - for all the hard work and of course for everyone who is involved in my progress! Special thanks to Green Hill for supporting me on my way to Rio 2016!

She came to the African Championship having twice earned 5^th place finishes at the World Cup in Montevideo, Uruguay and Chile on 8 March and 15 March in South America.

Earlier in the season, she was among 700 athletes who participated in the first Olympic Training Camp this year at OTC Mittersill in Austria

As well as winning a gold medal at the Scottish Open, she participated at the Dusseldorf Grand Prix in February.

It will be recalled that Szandra was awarded a Rio 2016 Scholarship by the Ghana Olympic Committee in March as part of the GOC’s goal of assisting elite athletes selected and proposed by their National Federations in their preparation and qualification for Rio 2016.

Background:

Szandra took up judo at age 11 in Hungary, having been inspired to take up the sport after watching her sister compete in judo.

She moved to London, England in 2007 and received an Achievement of the Year award at the 2012 University of East London Sports Awards.