This time of the year the humidity in Nigeria’s capital, Lagos, sticks to you like Prestik. It is oppressive, constant. Then there is Benin, Nigeria’s neighbour in the west, just a thousand kilometres above the equator. The port city of Cotonou is captive between the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Noukoué, where pirates are known to roam.

These destinations are in the sights of Deidre Jordaan, the North-West University (NWU) badminton champion, after a historical though heartbreaking Commonwealth Games campaign.

Deidre was part of the South African team that was able to reach the quarter finals of the Commonwealth Games for the first time. Although the team unfortunately could not continue their successful journey in Birmingham, England, it remains a remarkable achievement.    

 “It was the first time that South Africa made it from the group phases of the Commonwealth Games, so it was fantastic for us to be able to play in the quarter finals. It was an unbelievable experience and I was privileged to be able to play in a team with such a wonderful  group of people. I also want to thank Yonex South Africa, who started sponsoring me recently and provided me with all the equipment I needed for the Commonwealth Games.”

She has barely arrived home and is already spreading her wings again.

 “We are home now for about two weeks and then my doubles partner, Amy Ackerman, and I are going to Lagos in Nigeria, and the weekend after that we are going to Cotonou in Benin. We have to collect points to qualify for the Olympic Games in 2024. We call this phase our pre-Olympic qualifying period, because the official Olympic qualification period only starts on 1 May 2023. However, by that time you want to have enough points so that your position for the seedings is better. When the qualifying starts, you are higher in the ranking because of the points you have accumulated.”

A tournament in Egypt follows in October, and then Zambia and Botswana are waiting, before she bids 2022 goodbye with a tournament in Cape Town.  

It is a gruelling travel schedule that makes enormous demands on her purse, but her determination to qualify for the Olympic Games knows no bounds. As long as she can swing her racket, 2024 will not be out of her sights.

Deidre Jordaan