Wrestling: Biggest hurdle for Tauranga wrestler is funds

Tauranga wrestler Ana Moceyawa is ready for her next match. Photo / George Novak

Tauranga wrestler Ana Moceyawa may have suffered a loss in her toughest match yet - but she knows she will gain a lot from it to take into her world championship campaign.

Moceyawa made it through to September's World Championship competition in Kazakhstan when she finished second at the Oceania Championships in Guam last month, competing in the female wrestling seniors 59kg division.

She lost to Mia-Lahnee Aquino in a match Moceyawa describes as her hardest to date.

Aquino, the older sister of a fighter Moceyawa beat about two years ago in Tahiti, knew how to defend her attack, which she found difficult.

While she admits she "was very upset for losing", the top two placing qualified for the world champs which was her main goal.

The loss, she says, was a blessing in disguise because she now knows what to focus on before September.

"If you keep winning as an athlete you never know what you really need to work on," Moceyawa says.

"I'd much rather get a loss there and work on myself than get a loss at worlds."

For more than a month Moceyawa has been working with a sports psychologist, concentrating on dealing with anxiety, learning when to focus and when to relax and also identifying any positive and negative thoughts she has about herself and pushing past anything that is becoming a barrier.

"The main thing for me is working on my mental game."

"Acknowledging it is important. Sometimes I have trouble zoning in.

In the past month she's noticed a huge difference in controlling her mental focus.

Last weekend she went outside of her comfort zone and competed in two divisions of a grappling competition in the South Island and won both.

"I won both of them. That was to do with my mental game.

She says she still has so much to learn but is keen to continue to improve - hoping to attend the Canada Cup, a training camp next month and more international competitions in the lead up to the world champs.

However, one barrier that is harder to overcome is the financial one.

Moceyawa needs at least $4000 to cover flights, accommodation and entry fees just for the Canada event, but even more to attend further competitions.

She believes that international exposure is vital ahead of her world championship campaign - something her coach Mark Grayling agrees with.

Moceyawa says she needs more international mat time with new fighters, which is hard to come across so attending the Canada Cup would provide plenty of opportunity.

"I think that would be a big stepping zone. The only thing stopping me is money."

Ideally she would love to attend three international competitions ahead of the worlds in September, but it all comes down to finances.

Those international fights allow a fighter to see where they are at and help improve.

Grayling says she needs that international experience because she needs tougher competition to grow as a fighter.

If finances weren't a barrier, she'd be overseas training and gaining more experience fulltime.

Ana Moceyawa has three national titles in three martial arts disciplines including judo, wrestling, and grappling. Photo / George Novak