The challenge of securing qualification to a second successive Olympic Games is motivating Natalie Powell through the relentless grind of competitive judo.
This summer marks four years since the now 27-year-old claimed Commonwealth Gold for Wales at the Glasgow 2014 games.
Two years later Powell suffered heartbreak at the Rio Olympics when she finished just outside the medals but she has since fought her way back to the very top of her sport. Last October she became the first British female judoka to top the world rankings.
“I was really disappointed at the time but looking back I probably did what I was capable of, maybe I could have got a bronze, but I probably got the result I was capable of at the time, but it was still disappointing and I want to do as well as I can,” said Powell of her Olympic debut.
But the grappler, who competes at the 78kg category and is currently ranked world number three, has targeted competing in the birthplace of the combat sport at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, as her major goal.
Powell is now based at Walsall, near Birmingham, to live close to the Great Britain centre of excellence, but was able to return to her family home in Beulah last week, following a recent training camp in Japan.
During her time at home Powell was also able to attend the Brecon & Radnor Express Sports Awards where she picked up the Sportswoman of the Year trophy, a welcome break from relentless competition in a sport which she described as “not really having an off-season”.
Though the former Builth Wells High School pupil was part of the record Welsh medal haul in Glasgow she isn’t able to defend her crown at April’s Gold Coast games as Australia hasn’t included the martial art in the programme.
“I think the host nation get to pick some sports which are included and Australia hasn’t included judo but from the next games they are in every time which will be really good, particularly for Wales.”
Rather than Australia, Powell will be focused on the Antalya Grand Prix in Turkey, which is held next week, and then the European Championships in Israel at the end of the month.
The tough two-year Olympic qualification period for the Japan games will then get under way and only the world’s best 18 judokas will make it through.
“I think after the games I was demotivated but now with qualification starting and the European championships it is inspiring me.
“I think it’s like anything you need new challenges, you can work a normal day job and some days can be mundane and you enjoy other days.”
Though Tokyo 2020 is currently dominating Powell’s agenda she hasn’t ruled out fighting at a second Commonwealth Games when the event is staged in Birmingham in 2022.
“I’m aiming for Tokyo and I’ll reassess the situation after that but I’ll probably stay on to Birmingham anyway, I think I’ll be 31 by then.”
At Glasgow Natalie was joined in the Welsh team by younger sister Kirsty who the gold medallist described as “retired at 23”. Of representing Wales together, Powell said: “It was much more fun with Kirsty and Kirsty is quite a big personality anyway so I think I enjoyed it a bit more and it was a lot of fun with interviews and things like that.”