Tokyo 2020: Nostalgic Natalie Powell hoping blast from Sydney 2000 past can haul her to glory in Olympics
BySportsbeat
Updated 11/07/2021 at 18:35 GMT
Proud Powell, 31, will bid to improve on her seventh-place Rio finish at the spiritual home of judo this summer. "I remember watching the Olympics when Denise Lewis won heptathlon gold," Powell said. ""I was always into every sport - and I really like the idea that in heptathlon, she was really good at everything."
Natalie Powell (right, in blue) fights at the European Championships
Image credit: Imago
Denise Lewis' storied Sydney 2000 heptathlon gold medal first fuelled Natalie Powell's fervent Olympic fires.
And the Welsh ace reckons she's got a cracking shot of following in her footsteps and similarly standing tall on the Tokyo podium this summer.
Powell, from Beulah, was officially selected for her second Olympic Games in a six-strong Team GB judo squad this week.
The -78kg star finished seventh on her Olympic debut in Rio five years ago but a string of World Championship, European Championship and Grand Slam medals since have moulded her into a genuine contender in Japan.
Powell's first Olympic memories were watching Lewis capture British hearts in Sydney - and she insists she's set on emulating her exploits after defying the odds and scaling the Games heights.
The 31-year-old, who scooped bronze at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, said: "I remember watching the Olympics when Denise Lewis won heptathlon gold.
I was always into every sport - and I really like the idea that in heptathlon, she was really good at everything.
"That's probably my earliest Olympic memory. But in terms of actually thinking I could actually get there, that was a lot later.
"In judo, I really didn't think I had a chance for a log long time. It wasn't until 21 or 22 before the London Games that I thought there was actually a shot - it was quite late until I realised it was actually a genuine possibility.
"If I deliver what I'm capable of, get my head in the right frame of mind, bring my intensity and get my head in the right place, and I can definitely contend for a medal."
Powell was crowned Commonwealth champion in 2014 and has embarked on an inexorable rise since Rio five years ago.
She's racked up a raft of titles on the highest international stage but is determined to tick off an Olympic medal on her glittering list of achievements.
Powell soared onto the Hungarian podium at the 2017 World Championships, won three consecutive bronzes at the Europeans between 2016 and 2018 and - more recently - was crowned Grand Prix champion in Tel Aviv last year.
The -78kg scene is a fiercely competitive one but Powell, who also won the 2017 Grand Slam in Abu Dhabi, insists she's firmly up for the heat of the battle at the Nippon Budokan this summer.
The Tokyo venue is martial arts' spiritual home and Powell, whose Olympic exploits will be broadcast live on Eurosport and discovery+, added: "I'm looking to get on the podium and I want to get a medal.
"I feel like on my best day I'm fully capable of that - I've just got to put myself in the best position, perform and my best and hopefully I'll be on that podium.
"I'm going in ranked No.5 - and I would say that I'm going in with a good shot.
"If I perform at my best I'm capable of beating anyone - it's just about stringing it together and doing it on the day."
This summer's Games will be a world away from the storied scenes of London 2012 or the Brazilian bonanza in Rio five years ago.
Thomas Bach, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) president, arrived in Tokyo this week and Seiko Hashimoto, Tokyo 2020's organising committee chief, confirmed on Thursday this summer's showpiece will be held behind closed doors.
Powell is acutely aware of the challenges in store but is backing the bubble to keep her and her team-mates safe.
The Welsh star, who succumbed against German Luise Malzahn at the repechage stage in Rio, said: "You learn a lot from experience and there are a lot of little things in the Rio cycle that I experienced that I'll work on for this cycle.
"I think I'm a different athlete now five years on - I'm physically different and I'm mentally different. And obviously with coronavirus and the way that the world is, it's going to be a different Games.
"But I'm going to make sure I enjoy the moment. Personally, I'm really confident in the way the British Olympic Association (BOA) have handled the whole situation.
"In the international competitions that we've had, the bubbles have been kept really safe and I've not had any contact with the outside public. From what I understand, I think it's going to be safe."
Powell won't ever forget her Welsh roots after being born in Merthyr Tydfil and honing her early craft at Irfon Judo Club.
Her rapid rise propelled her to Glasgow Commonwealth gold at the age of 23 and after appearing in Rio at 25, Powell is equipped with the tools - and experience - to challenge in Japan.
She admits flying the Welsh flag is intensifying her pursuit of glory and hopes ascending the Tokyo podium can inspire the next generation of judokas up and down the country.
She said: "Obviously I'm Welsh and I've had a lot support from Welsh associations throughout my career - from when I was growing up to right now.
"Without them, I definitely wouldn't be where I am now. There's definitely a lot of pride and I really want to do it for them.
"If I can inspire the next generation then that's a bonus for sure. Everyone [back home] is really excited and it's really nice."
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