Donne Breytenbach has mapped out a path to achieving her dream of winning a medal at the 2028 Olympics. This ambition has seen her take the step of moving to Budapest, Hungary, where she is now competing across Europe and training with top talents from all over the world, writes MARK LEMKE.
Breytenbach moved to Europe in September 2023 to attend the Hungarian University of Sports Science where she feels at home amongst her peers. “The university has an international department so it has been easy to make friends. I am enjoying Hungary. It feels like it is centred around student life,” she said.
Breytenbach’s lifelong commitment to judo inspired her and her twin brother, Thomas, to make the move to the other side of the world, but what made Hungary the right place for the 22-year-olds?
“The judo here gives me the opportunity to compete in international tournaments more often than in South Africa. It gives me access to European competitions which would not be possible for me if I was still back home. My training partners are also competing in these events so they are at a very high level which keeps my standards high.”
With these high training standards comes a high level of intensity. Breytenbach, who currently ranks 97 in the world in the 57kg division, gave a blueprint of her weekly training. “We have gym sessions in the morning. The sessions depend on what phase you’re in, the loading phase (focused on building more muscle) or the preparation phase (focused on reaching peak condition for competitions). Twice a week we have randori nights, which are sparring nights. We fight ten people with each fight lasting four to six minutes, so that brings a high demand physically and mentally.”
Judo is a Japanese martial art which translates to “gentle way”. This translation is deceiving as the physical and mental toll that Judo takes on its judokas (fighters) is far from gentle. Breytenbach provided an idea of how she is physically and mentally affected. “The physical effects are quite extreme. You wake up the day after your fights and you can feel soreness in every muscle and you can feel the fatigue in your muscles. The mental side is no lighter, I would feel completely drained and I would struggle to focus on anything after a fight. All I would want to do is sleep.”
The hard work that Breytenbach is putting in is all aimed towards fulfilling her dream of competing in the Olympics. “I have set the goal of qualifying for the 2028 Olympics, and hopefully winning a medal. It’s very difficult as an African athlete to be at the same level as the athletes here, but I can benefit from these European competitions to reach the level where I can make a name for myself and for South African judo.
“I want to compete in the 2028 and 2032 Olympics and I believe I can. I want to inspire South African athletes to believe that they can achieve great things in their sport. Hopefully by the time I retire, I will have inspired athletes who surpass my achievements and grow South African sport further.”
Breytenbach now looks ahead to a 2025 filled with intense training and an extensive list of European competitions to add fuel to her dream of being a part of the Olympic flame.
Photo: Supplied
