If you know Cody-Trae Jameson’s inspiring story, you’ll know he’s conquered many battles in his life to be where he is today.
However, it was a bout with Sydney’s lockdown last year that really put him under the pump.
With gyms closed and life as we know it taken away for nearly five months, the champion Werrington Downs kickboxer – who takes his sporting career very seriously – fell into a deep hole that had him re-evaluating everything.
“I tried to keep motivated like everyone did during lockdown,” Jameson told the Weekender.
“The first few weeks were good – I was running every day, training every day, my diet was good, but as it dragged on longer and longer, my motivation stopped, my diet got worse.”
With his empty Uber Eats bags piling up in the recycling bin each week, Jameson started contemplating life as well as his blossoming career as one of Australia’s best up and coming kickboxers.
The 23-year-old said he decided to take a short break from the sport to focus on his mental and physical health, in the hopes of reigniting that passion again.
“When we started coming out of lockdown I had a few fight opportunities but then I realised that my life revolved around fighting too much and that sort of dictated if I was happy or not,” Jameson admitted.
“So I decided the first three months out of lockdown I would be completely off training, off fighting, and just have a real break to try and get my head space right and be a normal 20-year-old again.”
Fortunately Jameson’s decision to focus on himself and not his career was just what the doctor ordered and, once the New Year rolled around, he was back in fight mode and back chasing his dreams.
“From January 1, it was pedal to the metal. I was booking fights left, right and centre,” he said.
Last month, Jameson enjoyed his first big win out of lockdown, taking down Melbourne’s Marcus Burke for the second consecutive year to remain IKBF Commonwealth champion.
“The lead up to the fight was a bit daunting, knowing how hard he hits definitely had me up all night with anxiety, but I ended up dropping him in the second round with a body kick,” he said.
Nathan Taylor is the Weekender’s Deputy Editor and Senior Sports Writer. He also compiles the weekly Chatter on the Box TV column. Nathan is an award-winning journalist, who has worked at the Weekender for a decade.
