Women From South Africa

"I started playing with boys in the streets, then a coach saw me to play in a girls’ team. I moved between clubs, until I came to Mameldi Sundowns only this year."

"It’s been long overdue. I’ve been playing football since I can remember and it’s beautiful to see this tournament happening. We thank CAF for taking this step, so now we can deliver and show our talents."

"I hope my story inspires one person, and if that happens I've reached my goal. It's never about trying to inspire millions, it's about inspiring that one person to never disqualify themselves from the race"

"The lane space is obviously crowded, so that could get frustrating on its own."

"I'm excited to in the future tell my kids I used to swim there (Olympics) once. I am just grateful that I can walk away with medals. It is any athlete's dream."

"But it really pushes you to grow as an individual. It helps you find your strengths amid this group because, at the end of the day, you're the one that's going to race the race by yourself."

"I have this slogan – I wish I could swim with a cap that says Swimming is just what I do; it’s not who I am."

"Achievements fall away but you want to be remembered for who you are, she said from Paris.I hope that I’m remembered for bringing people joy."

"I swim because I love it. I also swim for a bigger purpose which is to use my talents to glorify God through my swimming"

"Swimming is really just a part of and a season in your life, there’s so much more than swimming."

"I really am living my dream at the moment, and am just keeping focused on enjoying the journey and taking it one moment at a time."

"It’s a big step up. The hard work is only starting now, and I love all the new challenges coming my way and I am learning a lot from each challenge."

"Sometimes there are setbacks, and you just have to sit back and see what needs to be done to ensure you get where you need to be and achieve what you want."

"Never give up! Your time will come, and some days will be hard, but the good days will be unforgettable."

"Make sure that you challenge yourself to be a whole person, work on yourself not just physically but take care of yourself emotionally, spiritually and mentally. It takes a whole person to succeed. Lastly, build a support system around you that will support you through the highs and the lows since swimming is not an individual sport, you might swim alone but it takes a team to get you faster."

"She’s had to compete against and chase swimmers, faster and older than her for her whole career and it’s never fazed her. That’s a major reason why she’s where she is today and why she’s so comfortable punching above her weight",Da Ponte"

"I was actually very calm and just focused on what I had to do and how I had to execute the race, so I think that was a really good thing – learning how to manage the nerves."

"It is always a great feeling to do well with a lot of your teammates and to have hard work pay off."

"I would love to be able to show younger women that we as women are so much stronger when we support one another. I believe that swimming should stay in the pool and as soon as the race is over, you celebrate one another no matter the outcome. Women need to stand together."

"To overcome challenges, it is good to reach out to family and friends and I do believe it means having a great bond between you and your coach to always let them know how you are feeling since all kinds of challenges can affect your training."

"I train together with Tatjana and teammates are very important to me. Your teammates are the ones who push you when you feel like you cannot carry on. The Tuks swim team environment is constantly evolving and getting better but like they say a rising tide lifts all the boats."

"I am very dedicated and motivated to the things that I love, when I put my mind to something I would do anything in my power to achieve it"

"I can’t believe what I had achieved. I had a difficult two years in which I did not once get close to swimming a personal best time. So, I had been quite discouraged ever so often. All I wanted to do at the Olympics Games was to swim a personal best time. It is what I wanted out of the whole Tokyo experience"

"I was not particularly good at everything, I must say. I tried to be good at everything but swimming finally chose me. When I say that swimming chose me I mean that I started doing better in swimming than in the other sports and started loving my time in the pool with all my friends."

"It is always lovely to be recognised for what you are doing, but it should never be the sole purpose to do what you are doing. If you are swimming to get recognised, then you’re doing it for the wrong reasons. You should do it for the love of the sport, the love of being active and the experiences that come with it. If you then get recognised for doing something great it is only a bonus and it doesn’t define you."

"For me, the emotions were really because it took a village to get me to where I am. I know they would have been proud even if I didn't have a medal"

"But it was really for them. I swam for everyone that's been there for me and believed with me."

"The world has defied success as medals and records where success is different in my mind. And I think that is why I'm very easy to go back and never be hard on myself in terms of that. I just try and find the next thing to improve a little bit more."

"Sometimes, us as athletes, we always strive for the achievements, for example to get better or reach a certain goal, and that sometimes takes away from the purpose and passion of the sport."

"At the end of the day, a happy swimmer is a fast swimmer, so if we maintain that passion, we will ultimately maintain our purpose. The characteristics that our sport teaches us is also so important – the discipline and the perseverance – they create characteristics within you that last a lifetime, long after your swimming career has ended."

"I would give them the advice to never lose the hunger to be better. Every day I wake up wanting to better and to achieve better, but not better than someone else but better than me."

"It’s about being the best you can be physically and mentally. Having the right mindset and work ethic definitely helps me keep playing. A lot of players get injured when they are past 30 and that’s when their career ended."

"With my previous experience at the Olympics, I know what to expect. It’s going to be a packed stadium and you can hardly hear each other, it could be distracting. So we have to focus on that more in our preparation and I will help the others in the team who don’t know what it’s going to be like. We just need to stay calm and shut out the noise, and at least we know what’s coming"

"I pride myself on my fitness and keep my body as healthy as I can"

"At the Olympics, every team is so on form because this is what they have been planning for, but anything can happen. We’ve focused on what we can control, like working on our structure"

"I find it’s the small details that really help and I spend so much time in the gym to prevent injury. It’s also to maintain my strength and I also watch my nutrition. If you are going to stay at this level, then you have to keep up with the youngsters and the energy they have."

"So I’m just super-happy he’s coaching us, we’re lucky to have him. That’s what you need if you’re playing in the Olympics – the best. We don’t have the resources and sponsors that push other teams like the top four, but Giles is so passionate and he gives us a sense of calm and belief"

"I have lived my childhood dream and given everything I could to the badge. Every match, every moment, and every experience has been a privilege that I will cherish forever."

"I’ve had a couple of setbacks in my career since the 2012 Olympics and I just really wanted to go there again, because it is the pinnacle of hockey and was always my dream"

"I had to give myself the opportunity again, otherwise I knew I would regret it once I’ve retired. So I’m really happy to be in Paris!"

"I love it — it’s what I wanted. I’m super-proud of myself. I know this is the time when I’m just starting, but I know that it’s also the time when I have to really work because I want to make my home proud. It’s a lot to put on your shoulders, but that’s what I want. I really want eyes on all African artists in general, because we need more attention."

"I have always been a big dreamer, but obviously my parents and family will tell me to be realistic. It’s very rare that we get these opportunities in SA. Growing up, I used to watch a lot of Michael Jackson and Rihanna concerts; I loved it and wanted to do that. We are very close as a family and they are so proud, they get excited and it’s a whole celebration."

"I found myself in that dilemma of separating myself from Amanda Black and Amanda who are in essence me, they are one and there is no difference between them"

"I am lucky to have an audio diary that I literally go back to before I start a new project, and I listen to Amazulu, I listen to Power and I listen to Mnyama and it gets me to understand quite a lot"

"I always know what I want and I trust [myself]. I also love collaborating and sharing other people’s ideas because everybody has something different. You never know, because initially with ‘Been Thinking’ it was a bit further into pop than I was used to, but I warmed up to it and recorded everything and it was great. That’s happened a lot where I’ve been worried or questioning certain things, but once I’ve done it I’ve ended up liking it, so I’m open to learning."

"They didn’t want me to be disappointed if things didn’t go my way. But I was so adamant. I was going to make it happen no matter what."

"I wanna eventually buy my parents their dream home and make sure they don’t need to work another day in their life."

"I would tell everybody that I was going to be a pop star. My parents hoped I would grow out of it, but I never did. No matter who asked me what I wanted to be, I’d always say singer. My answer never changed."

"I have a sort of thought process I go through. And what I normally do with my accompanist is that we will talk through the whole show beforehand. You go through every song and we say, oe be careful of that part, and that part and remember to do that there and so on. You get all those things out of the way and it’s filed in your brain, so by the time you walk on stage you actually do it for the second time"

"I struggled a lot with the separation because the industry calls for you to separate yourself from who you are and the art"