Judo: 'Groundhog Day' pays off for Slyfield

By CHRIS RATTUE

By day, Tim Slyfield works in the City. That's the City, as in the London finance world.

By morning, noon and night, he's also a practicising judo exponent.

Every day, his life in London begins at 5.20am when he gets up to train.

At lunchtime he goes to the gymnasium at his employers, Nigel Lynn, a big finance firm where Slyfield, who has a finance degree, works 50-hour weeks recruiting accountants.

Then after work, he heads back to training where he fights, every night, some of Britain's best.

But Slyfield almost didn't make it to the Manchester Games.

After the Sydney Olympics, where he lost in the second round, he knew the amount of time needed to get strong, fit and sharp.

After years of training and competing, including coming third in the 1998 Commonwealth championships in Edinburgh, the 27-year-old wanted to build his career and get some money.

But coach Brent Cooper and others persuaded the Aucklander from Bucklands Beach, who was educated at Sacred Heart College and started judo at 10, to go to Manchester.

It led to Slyfield's proudly wearing a bronze medal at the judo arena, hugging his new wife, Alison, and talking to his father, Colin, who is in Europe on business.

"It's been really hard, so tough," Slyfield said of his journey to the podium in front of a big bunch of London friends.

"Every day. Train, train, train. That's my life. Groundhog day."

Slyfield's night in front of a buoyant crowd opened with defeat in a semifinal against Scotland's Graeme Randall, a former world champion, who went on to beat England's Tom Cousins in the final.

Slyfield had beaten Randall once in three meetings, but said: "He was just too strong. I couldn't get past his grips.

"He was a class above here."

That put Slyfield into a bronze-medal fight against Australian Morgan Endicott Davies, which, as expected, Slyfield won with two wasa-aris, after being denied what appeared a legitimate winning ippon.

After his victory, he said: "I'm very tired but delighted. I would say this is the highlight of my career."

Full coverage:
nzherald.co.nz/manchester2002

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