In 2009, Alyssa Conley tore her hamstring which led her to suffer multiple injuries to the point where she could no longer run. She had been to over ten medical physicians but no one could tell her what the problem was and her dream of competing in the 2012 Olympic Games was shattered. However, having dreamed of representing South Africa since the age of 7, she was not ready to give up. Over the weekend, the 25 year old Alyssa stormed her way to gold when she won both the 100m and 200m at the SA Senior Athletics Championships.
Born and bred in Johannesburg, Alyssa developed an interest in running at primary school when she realized that she could run faster than the boys. She had a lot of fun beating them because they could not understand why she ran so fast and more importantly, why she was faster than them. She also had a tendency to run bare feet which led to her being given the nickname, Zola Bud, after the famous South African barefoot sprinter.
Alyssa began competing internationally for the first time in 2007 at the World Youth Championships where she became the first youth female sprinter to make both finals in the 100m and 200m.
In 2009, she represented South Africa at the World Junior Championships where she placed first in the 200m and second in the 100m. It is here however, that she tore her hamstring and for the next few years, she suffered multiple injuries and lost every race she competed in.
Despite these disappointing few years, Alyssa refused to give up, and through hard work and sheer determination, she made a comeback in 2016.
Alyssa began the 2016 season by clinching the South African first place titles in both the 100m and 200m, and she represented South Africa at the African Championships where she won silver in the 200m. She was also part of the African Championships 4x100m relay team that claimed the gold. In addition, she represented South Africa at the Diamond Leagues and she ran the 200m at the Olympics. Her 2016 season was made even more special when she was named Gauteng Sportswoman of the Year, an honour that made her feel “overwhelmed with joy”.
Apart from her career as a sprinter, she also played badminton at a national level and netball at regional level. She completed her sports psychology degree and honours in sports management at the University of Johannesburg and she works for Nike as a Product Specialist.
Looking back at all the challenges she had to face, Alyssa knows that true success is earned through hard work and does not happen overnight. Over the short term, she aims to break the 11 second mark in the 100 meter and also qualify for the Athletics Championships to be held in London later this year. Over the long term, she is working towards medaling at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2020 Olympics.
*Watch the video of the race below.
Source(s): in-site, smartzargirls, yoursport
Photo Credit: news24
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