Every time I am given the opportunity to race for Australia I’m extremely proud. To be able to do just that in my own country is all the more special.
I’d been building up to this race in Gold Coast for quite a few months. I’d had the perfect preparation and when I was on the start line I was confident in delivering a performance that could only make me more proud.
Within 200m of the swim, I was knocked quite hard on the side of my head. I stopped briefly as a sharp pain went shooting across my head. I’d never intentionally stopped in a race before – I guess I was in a bit of shock. Within a few seconds I’d gathered myself, head down arms moving, but the brief pause at a critical period meant my position was sacrificed….and then for the remainder of the race. When back in the tail end groups the majority (not all) athletes seem to be lacking in the motivation to push hard on the bike compared to the front few bunches. So despite my effort to chase and motivate I lost a lot of time. I finished with my worst WTS result of recent times.
I spent the rest of the day with an out of place jaw and was unable to talk properly but other than that I’ve recovered well and am back into training. I’m in a good place physically and mentally and I’m surrounded by a great support network. Although disappointed, I’ve quickly shifted my focus to Yokohama WTS for which I now have another month of building upon the work I’ve done so far in 2016!
Photo Credit : Korupt Vision
