Aussie mum's triumph over 'pure heartbreak'

1 year ago 83

Crashing to the way successful a h2o pit, snapping an Achilles tendon and being carted distant successful a wheelchair made for "pure heartbreak".

But 14 months after the Tokyo Olympic run of Australia's Genevieve Gregson ended successful misery successful the women's 3000-metre steeplechase final, the prima runner from Queensland feels "superhuman".

It's not conscionable a hiccup-free comeback from an Achilles rupture that's made the 33-year-old consciousness invincible, but a imagination acquisition arsenic a first-time mum and promising displacement from the way to the marathon.

"I would accidental the astonishment is that my assemblage has conscionable had a full 2nd wind, really, astatine moving again," Gregson told Wide World of Sports.

"I mean, (considering however I was) starring into Tokyo it was nary astonishment to maine that I did specified a large wounded due to the fact that I had been battling Achilles problems for years, beauteous overmuch since Rio (the 2016 Rio Olympics).

"I deliberation erstwhile you rupture your Achilles the archetypal thought successful your caput is your vocation is over. And past adjacent erstwhile I decided that I didn't privation my vocation to beryllium implicit I inactive had galore doubts (with) rehabbing that and coming backmost from specified a large setback.

"But juggling that and being truthful large for astir of the rehab and past having different country erstwhile I was 20 weeks pregnant, I deliberation the astonishment has been it's conscionable been specified a creaseless comeback, really.

"I don't cognize if that's position oregon that I was expecting the worst.

"But I've sat down with my physio and strength-and-conditioning manager galore times and talked astir everything we've documented, and it's truly conscionable been truthful creaseless ... I genuinely consciousness similar my assemblage feels amended than ever.

"I don't cognize if I'll get arsenic accelerated arsenic I ever was. I deliberation I will.

"But the biggest astonishment is conscionable however bully I consciousness waking up successful the greeting and going for a two-hour agelong run. I've ne'er done that successful my career, but present that I'm transitioning to longer distances I americium trying to up my agelong tally and enactment retired determination for longer, and my body's conscionable handling it truthful well."

Gregson and her husband, chap Olympic runner Ryan Gregson, welcomed their archetypal kid successful June.

Gregson credits the easiness with which she's tackled motherhood to her "phenomenal" hubby and a relocation to Brisbane, wherever her mum jumps astatine each accidental to babysit their beloved Archer.

The three-time Olympian competed successful the 3000-metre steeplechase astatine the 2012, 2016 and 2021 Games, and has held the Australian grounds successful the lawsuit since August 2016, erstwhile she clocked 9:14.28 successful a Diamond League contention successful Paris.

But she's present gunning for a spot connected the Australian marathon squad astatine the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The trouble of that situation is not mislaid connected Gregson, who admits she's stepping up successful region aft a "marathon boom".

It was lone this period that Sinead Diver sliced 62 seconds disconnected the nationalist grounds successful Valencia. The 45-year-old is the lone pistillate to person locked successful a spot connected Australia's Olympic marathon team, having satisfied the modular wrong the qualification window.

Six of the 10 fastest Australian pistillate marathoners successful past person either already earned enactment connected the Paris Olympic marathon squad oregon are targeting it, successful Diver, Lisa Weightman, Eloise Wellings, Jessica Stenson, Ellie Pashley and Milly Clark.

Stenson won Commonwealth Games golden successful the marathon successful Birmingham successful July and backed it up with different superb tally successful the New York City Marathon, posting 2:27:27 to beryllium the ninth pistillate home.

Making the scramble for enactment adjacent fiercer is Izzi Batt-Doyle, who finished 2nd successful this year's Melbourne Marathon successful the highly respectable clip of 2:28:10, and Leanne Pompeani, who's yet to marque her marathon debut but has emerged arsenic a mighty unit successful 2022.

Pompeani, who was the archetypal pistillate location successful this year's City to Surf and clinched the women's nationalist 10,000-metre rubric this month, wants to contention the marathon astatine the Paris Olympics.

Diver and 2 different Australian women volition beryllium connected the commencement enactment erstwhile the weapon is fired.

"The hardest portion astir it is the information that I'm coming into marathons a spot later, aft the marathon boom's already happened," Gregson said.

"We utilized to deliberation that if you ran conscionable nether 2:30 you made a (senior Australian) team, whereas present I deliberation you're going to person to tally nether 2:25 to marque a team, which is conscionable down to the calibre of pistillate region runners successful Australia astatine the moment.

"But thing that I truly thrive disconnected is ... I would accidental my coach's astir palmy lawsuit successful coaching is the women's marathon. He (Nic Bideau) has had truthful overmuch success. I don't cognize of immoderate miss he's coached successful the marathon who hasn't had a immense breakthrough. So I'm successful the champion hands for this lawsuit and I've conscionable got to anticipation I tin bash the enactment and bash what helium gives me.

"I don't uncertainty that I tin beryllium up with those girls.

"(Making the) apical 3 volition beryllium the hardest portion due to the fact that if everyone's firing astatine the aforesaid clip it'll travel down to who's the fastest."

Gregson says she's besides buoyed by her emotion of an against-the-odds combat arsenic she eyes the Olympic marathon.

"I deliberation erstwhile I look backmost connected my vocation determination were astir apt moments that I thought were challenging astatine the time, but erstwhile I comparison them to what I'm taking connected close present thing truly compares," Gregson said.

"But I've ever been an jock that does amended erstwhile my back's against the wall. I deliberation immoderate clip that I've been contented with wherever I'm astatine I really haven't truly had a large year, and immoderate large leaps successful my moving that I've had successful the past were due to the fact that I was coming disconnected immoderate benignant of an injury, oregon a uncertainty that idiosyncratic had successful me, oregon I was being threatened disconnected funding. There was ever an juncture to spur maine on.

"And I can't deliberation of thing amended than coming disconnected specified a large wounded and the commencement of my archetypal child. There's not galore much hurdles I request successful beforehand of maine to marque maine privation to truly bushed this challenge."

Gregson has built her play kilometres to 110 connected the roadworthy backmost from the Achilles rupture and pregnancy, and plans to consistently churn retired 140-kilometre weeks erstwhile she's ready.

She's hoping to adjacent don greenish and golden astatine the 44th variation of the World Cross Country Championships, acceptable to beryllium held successful the New South Wales municipality of Bathurst successful February.

Shorter events specified arsenic the 10-kilometre World Cross Country Championships hit-out signifier arsenic invaluable races successful Gregson's modulation to the marathon.

The Launceston 10, Sydney Running Festival 10 and five-kilometre Noosa Bolt were among a big of races Gregson ran implicit the 2nd fractional of this year, fuelling her competitory drive.

"I deliberation that's 1 happening that you bash request erstwhile you look specified a immense comeback similar rupturing your Achilles and having a babe astatine the aforesaid time," Gregson said of her instrumentality to racing.

"I knew it was going to beryllium a truly agelong clip off, but that didn't truly scare maine oregon marque maine feel, 'Oh, I'm not that motivated; it's truthful acold away'.

"Really, arsenic soon arsenic I could I was backmost moving and arsenic soon arsenic I could I was backmost racing.

"My times aren't competitory yet, but I truly bash emotion competing, I emotion getting retired there, I emotion the full feeling: the nerves, the night-before preparation. I emotion each of that astir racing and I deliberation for maine that's truly been the carrot dangling: to get backmost to a contention wherever I americium expecting myself to beryllium connected the podium again oregon triumph a race.

"I bash inactive deliberation I person a fewer much months earlier I'm there."

Regardless of however the 19 months betwixt present and the Paris Olympics cookware out, Gregson tin beryllium immensely arrogant of however acold she's already come.

"What I felt backmost successful Tokyo I've ne'er experienced before," she said.

"It was axenic heartbreak successful its finest signifier for an athlete.

"Tokyo was the twelvemonth wherever I thought I would beryllium capable to beryllium to everyone conscionable however bully I was.

"I ever said to myself, 'Don't worry, successful a year's clip oregon successful 2 years' clip you'll look backmost to this infinitesimal and it'll conscionable beryllium a blur oregon a blip successful the past'. I consciousness similar I tin bash that present and I conscionable consciousness truthful beardown due to the fact that of it ... I cognize I tin grip thing that comes my way.

"To person got done each this portion managing having a babe and enjoyed each spot of it ... I consciousness superhuman close present and I conscionable don't deliberation thing volition beryllium capable to halt me."

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