A judo star set to perform on the Commonwealth Games mat says she doesn’t want to “waste her energy being nervous”.
Rachel Tytler instead has her eye on the prize and hopes to go home with a medal.
The 25-year-old, who will compete for the Scotland team, told the Glasgow Times: “I’m delighted. I’m a little nervous about it, but I’m trying to block out the fact that it’s almost a competition and I’m just excited that I’m in the Commonwealth.
“I don’t want to waste energy being nervous.
“You always want to win, but also, being part of the Scotland team in the Commonwealth is enough.
“But it would be great to get a medal.”
The Commonwealth Games take place in Birmingham from July 28 to August 8.
Tytler, from Bearsden in East Dunbartonshire, has been practicing judo for around 18 years.
She currently coaches for Pro Judo in Glasgow and is a member of Judo Scotland.
Tytler said: “I got started because on a Friday night some family friends were looking after us and we were too riotous so some of us were sent to judo to burn off that energy.
“I got stuck and learned that I was fine.
“The club has really encouraged and supported me to do more competitions and classes, and for me, getting that encouragement from the coaches at the club has definitely helped me to do more with the sport.
“I find the sport so inclusive, but it also changes constantly.
“You can fight opponents from different countries and even though you both do judo, you do different styles of it.
“So it’s a constant challenge how you’re going to approach a fight.”
Tytler will be joined in Birmingham by fellow Pro Judo coach David Ferguson, 26.
The two have had a lot to celebrate recently.
As well as being accepted into the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the two competed in a series of competitions across Europe throughout the year and both scored impressive victories.
Tytler managed to score fifth in the European Cup from Dubrovnik earlier this year, with Ferguson taking silver.
As for the Commonwealth Games, Tytler will compete in the heavyweight division, while Ferguson of Bishopbriggs will compete in the lightweight division.
This will be the duo’s first appearance at the Commonwealth Games.
Tytler said: “Neither of us have done it before, but we both went to watch it in Glasgow.
“We knew a lot of Scottish athletes who were competing and had trained with them, so it was very exciting to see them able to perform.
“The vibe was unreal. So I’m looking forward to it from that perspective now too.
“It’s still quite surreal.”
In order to prepare for the upcoming Games, the duo traveled across Europe to various training camps.
Tytler added: “We were just in Alicante for an Olympic training camp last week so it was very difficult.
“We also went to the UK training center to train, and we have the European Open this weekend in Switzerland and then our final preparation camp after that.
“So we haven’t done a lot of training here, but we’ve done a lot outside, which has been great to have different bodies to train with.”
The duo’s next major goals are to reach the Paris Olympics in 2024, as well as the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.