February 2008 gSTAR: Geraldine Pillay
For as long as she can remember Geraldine Pillay has always loved athletics. In fact when she was in Grade 1 she took up sprinting and instantly fell in love with the excitement of being on the track. But it was only in her early twenties that she realised she could make a career out of being a sprinter, and that is when her real journey in sport began...
Now at the age of 30, Geraldine is aiming for gold at this year's Beijing Olympics in August where she plans to race in the 100m and 200m sprints. Her preparations started four years ago after a disappointing Olympic showing in Athens when she only qualified for the 100m sprints and then failed to go past the first round.
But Geraldine didn't let her devastating performance in Athens distract her from her greatest ambition, which is to be the best she can be at whatever she does. She started planning for Beijing immediately after that, and two years at the Commonwealth Games in Australia her perseverance and hard work paid off when she became the first South African sprinter to win silver in the 100m and bronze in the 200m sprints at a Commonwealth Games.
In October 2006, Geraldine took her preparations to a whole new level when she left for Jamaica to train with some of the world's best athletes including Asafa Powell and Bridget Foster-Hylton. She returned to South Africa in June last year and a few months later joined the High Performance Centre where she is currently based.
It's been a challenging journey for this passionate South African, but it's not over yet, despite some people suggesting that maybe its time for her to retire. Inspired by the great Frankie Fredericks and our very own Oscar Pistorius, Geraldine has her sights set on an electric showing in Beijing, and judging by the work she has put in and the experience gained over the years, there is no reason why shouldn't return with Olympic Gold!
She is a fun loving, easy going woman, who loves life and is deeply embraces her femininity. Geraldine admits that although she wants to run as fast as men, she will always be proud of being a woman. She hopes to be a role model to every young person in South Africa, female and male, from all walks of life, and to be the epitome of success.
For as long as she can remember Geraldine Pillay has always loved athletics. In fact when she was in Grade 1 she took up sprinting and instantly fell in love with the excitement of being on the track. But it was only in her early twenties that she realised she could make a career out of being a sprinter, and that is when her real journey in sport began...
Now at the age of 30, Geraldine is aiming for gold at this year's Beijing Olympics in August where she plans to race in the 100m and 200m sprints. Her preparations started four years ago after a disappointing Olympic showing in Athens when she only qualified for the 100m sprints and then failed to go past the first round.
But Geraldine didn't let her devastating performance in Athens distract her from her greatest ambition, which is to be the best she can be at whatever she does. She started planning for Beijing immediately after that, and two years at the Commonwealth Games in Australia her perseverance and hard work paid off when she became the first South African sprinter to win silver in the 100m and bronze in the 200m sprints at a Commonwealth Games.
In October 2006, Geraldine took her preparations to a whole new level when she left for Jamaica to train with some of the world's best athletes including Asafa Powell and Bridget Foster-Hylton. She returned to South Africa in June last year and a few months later joined the High Performance Centre where she is currently based.
It's been a challenging journey for this passionate South African, but it's not over yet, despite some people suggesting that maybe its time for her to retire. Inspired by the great Frankie Fredericks and our very own Oscar Pistorius, Geraldine has her sights set on an electric showing in Beijing, and judging by the work she has put in and the experience gained over the years, there is no reason why shouldn't return with Olympic Gold!
She is a fun loving, easy going woman, who loves life and is deeply embraces her femininity. Geraldine admits that although she wants to run as fast as men, she will always be proud of being a woman. She hopes to be a role model to every young person in South Africa, female and male, from all walks of life, and to be the epitome of success.
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