My three pieces of advice: Kate Howey

Two-time Olympic medallist and judo icon Kate Howey enjoyed a highly decorated career on the mat as she broke numerous national records and helped bolster the sport’s popularity.

Kate retired having competed at senior level for 16 years and this illustrious period was followed by a hugely successful stint as Head Coach at British Judo – helping guide Gemma Gibbons to a stunning silver medal at London 2012 – before her recent departure.

The sacrifices and disappointments….they can make the searing highs all the more memorable - and Kate had many moments to celebrate along the way, including Olympic medals coming at Barcelona 1992 – bronze – and a silver at Sydney 2000, as well as multiple world and European titles.

With a new generation of sporting stars now bursting onto the scene, Kate, 48, has shared three invaluable pieces of advice to help SportsAid athletes hoping to follow in her footsteps.

DON’T WORRY ABOUT THE RESULT – ONLY THE PERFORMANCE

"One key piece of advice would simply be: don't worry about the result, worry about the performance. That's my advice because then, that will take care of the result. A lot of athletes think about a gold medal or winning a medal but forget about the process, so if they take care of being in the moment and the process, then the medals will come.

“It's all about bringing your best performance. It is easy to get lost, not lost in the moment, but you're lost in the ‘wow, what happens if I win this, I could be a world champion’, or whatever the competition is. But if you've taken care of the process for the fight that's in front of you, or the 100m race in front of you, and not necessarily the result, you won't get carried away with the moment.

“I think it's about how you respond in that moment, and any coach who is worth their weight will try and pull back into that as well. So you're not on your own – everybody has a coach, or they've got whoever it is that they confide in, that they can talk to so they can deliver their best performance.

“That's the difference – focus on providing your best performance but not getting carried away."

TAKE EVERY MINUTE OF THE DAY TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL

“I think if they're still aspiring and they still haven't had that selection, then they need to take every minute of the day to achieve that goal. Sometimes I know it seems a long way, but it's not a long way off.

“Every minute counts during the time an athlete is doing what they're doing – so make sure you make every one of those 60 seconds count."

STAY IN THE MOMENT

"Another big thing is about being in the moment. Sometimes, people get carried away at a multi-sport event, and they're not in the moment, and they are just happy to be there. But to perform, you have to be in the moment.

“It isn't easy. I won't lie and say it is easy to do – it is difficult, especially if it is your first multi-sport competition because it's different to what you're used to.

“It's challenging to do, but it's very much achievable. If you want to give your best performance on the day, you need to be in the moment."

Commonwealth Games England has appointed SportsAid to lead on the development, management and operational delivery of Team England Futures at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The programme, supported by Sport England, will reinforce the importance of the Commonwealth Games, particularly one hosted on home soil, as a developmental opportunity within the talent and performance pathway!