By Mark Etheridge
He may not have made the final of the men’s double mini trampoline at World Championships on this occasion but South Africa’s sole representative still feels he has plenty to offer the sport.
Offering Tlaka ended 23rd of 40 starters in Sofia, Bulgaria on Friday, needing to make the top eight scores that gained automatic progression into Sunday’s final.
Speaking to Team SA from Bulgaria, Tlaka said: ‘The competition was a great experience. It’s always such a great honour to compete against the world’s best.
‘World championships are always such an intense event to attend because the level of competition is at it’s utmost best.
‘Making finals at this level can be a big difference.
‘After the World Games it was a mission to make a finals at World Championships but unfortunately this wasn’t the case for me on this occasion.
‘Still I felt strong and confident and do believe I still have what it takes to be amongst the best in the world.
‘What I’ve learnt from this competition is to focus more on consistency and stability.
‘Now I’m looking forward to a bit of rest and making sure I’m not struggling with any injuries so that I can be well prepared for next year’s season.’
Next year’s focus will once again be on world championships but if anything Tlaka will better prepared than this occasion.
Said the Hudson Nxmalo coached athlete: ‘We’re going to get funding so we can attend World Cups prior to the event so we can gain more experience and be better prepared.’
On thing’s for sure about this Pretoria-based athlete and that’s his passion for the high-explosive sport. ‘Basically my whole life is the gym. I train, work there as a coach. I used to do all the admin as well but now have a partner that does that.
‘I stopped my studies to focus more on my sport…. I was studying accounting sciences.’