WILTSHIRE College & University Centre student Zoe Raymond came home with a bronze medal from the World Tug of War Championships in South Africa – and a burning desire to go back and compete again next year.
The 16-year-old said representing England was a dream come true and the pride she felt in pulling for her country beat anything she has experienced in the sport she has played since she was 12.
The student, who is studying a T-Level in Livestock Production at the college’s Lackham campus, was one of the youngest members of the England squad who took flew out to Cape Town before going on to Mossel Bay where the championships were held.
If she was overawed by the experience she didn’t let it show in competition and was part of a team that finished fifth in the junior women’s 480kg competition.
She followed that up with the bronze 580kg junior mixed event. “I was hoping to get a medal but I really didn’t know whether it would happen,” she said. “When it did I was really happy.
“I knew it was going to be tough because it was the top pullers from each country, the best of the best, but it was very good to get the medal and I really enjoyed it.”
She said the higher level of competition was a challenge but she enjoyed pushing herself to meet it. Performing in front of a larger crowd was also something she had to get used to.
“The tournament was taking part in a stone amphitheatre and there were a lot of people there, especially to watch the South Africans,” she said. “But to be honest, when you compete, you don’t really notice them. I thought I would but when you’re in the moment, that’s all you can think about.”
She said she learned a lot about the sport from her teammates and from watching the other nations compete. “It was good to see how other countries do it,” she said. “We met some girls from Chinese Tapai who are on a sports scholarship and get to compete every day.
“I met lots of new people from other countries who would start talking to me about the sport and England, just to see how I am different to them.”
Zoe, who had to raise money through a cake sale and a bingo evening at the restaurant she works at to fund the trip, said only her second trip abroad was a memorable experience. “South Africa is very different, it wasn’t as hot as we expected it to be,” she said. “We had to drive five hours to get to Mossel Bay from Cape Town and we went through a lot of different scenery, some of it was very green.”
While there she and her teammates were able to go on a safari. “That was really good,” she said. “We saw giraffes, rhinos, cheetahs and water buffalo. We also went to the beach near our hotel.”
The trip has given her the taste for competing abroad and representing her country. “I want to do it again next year and I want to represent England before that but it might be difficult with college and my placement,” she said. “It’s busy with that, my job and training but I’ll do my best.”
Congratulations Zoe!
