Straining & Striving to Tokyo
When you tune in to watch the Olympic Games on TV in just a few weeks, you'll undoubtedly hear commentators say
"they make it look effortless."
What is far less obvious on TV, is that the process of getting there is anything but effortless. In fact, more often than not: it is flat out excruciating. Physically, mentally, and perhaps most of all: emotionally.
The longest Olympic cycle since World War 2 is coming to a close. For nearly five years, athletes have strained and strived to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
As you well know, the Olympic Games are the pinnacle of our sport. Nearly everything about them is amplified and on a bigger scale. The highs can feel unbelievably higher, and the lows can feel unimaginably lower. That's part of the deal.
Another part of that implicit deal is that nothing is guaranteed. Even when an athlete does absolutely everything right, controls all they can control, and makes every sacrifice there is to make - there's still a very good chance that they won't get the outcome they want (or feel that they deserve).
As members of the Vancouver Thunderbirds Track & Field Club, we have been incredibly fortunate to get an up close look at what it takes to truly pursue an Olympic dream. Over the past few years, five T-birds have put in truly Olympic-level efforts to compete in Tokyo.
Liz, Rachel, Natalia, John and Kieran - I know I speak on behalf of all the Thunderbirds, when I say that we are so incredibly grateful to learn from you and to cheer you on. You are all exemplary ambassadors for our Club, Country and Sport - both on and off the track.
Although only three of you have been named to the Canadian Olympic Team, all five of you deserve to be acknowledged for your world-class resilience, patience and discipline in pursuit of your goals. We know that you each did everything you possibly could to earn a spot on that team. You fought right until the bitter end, and 'ran through the finish line.'
For some of you that wound up being enough.
For others, factors outside of your control got in the way.
Regardless of the outcome, all five of you have made invaluable contributions to our community - and we'd like to wish you a heartfelt THANK YOU.
The Club would also like to thank your coaches: Laurier, Richard, CJ and Brant - for everything you've poured into these athletes and our community. They clearly would not be here, if not for you (literally and figuratively).
Over the next few days I'll be recapping the Olympic level efforts each of these athletes gave in their pursuit to compete at the Tokyo Olympics, along with a quote from their coach that sheds light on what we can all take away from these exceptional human beings that we are privileged to call teammates.
For those of you less familiar with the process, I have provided a quick explanation of how Track & Field qualification for the Tokyo Olympics works down below
Now for the first athlete we'd like to acknowledge:
Liz Gleadle - Javelin
Liz spent the months leading up to her 2nd Olympic Games in Rio recovering from a spinal cord injury that significantly hampered her ability to train and compete.
Although she did eventually recover from that injury, a decade's worth of high performance training in an exceptionally asymmetrical event began to take its toll on Liz's body and she has struggled with more than her fair share of injuries in the years since.
Immediately after hearing the Tokyo Olympics would be postponed last spring, she capitalized on the extended off-season by ramping up her weight lifting program to levels that normally could not be fit into a "short" 12 month cycle. Then in what would have been her final preparation for the Games, in June 2020, Liz was suddenly hospitalized with appendicitis. Had the Games actually been held in 2020, she would have missed them.
On her road to recovery, she put her faith in the process as she exercised patience and methodical discipline. That process led to her 10th Canadian National Title and #10 world ranking to qualify for her 3rd Olympics.
In her own words, Liz recently posted: "It's been a roller coaster of a year, but looking back I kind of loved the challenge of it all. If it was easy, it wouldn't be as rewarding or fun."
Thank you Liz for always showcasing a playful spirit, contagious passion, and relentless drive to be the best you can be.
"I admire that Liz is the captain of her own ship. She has never been one to hope that things fall in place. She is purposeful about surrounding herself with the right people, the right education, the appropriate opportunities to maximize the outcome she desires. This skill is fully transferable to other parts of her life and will serve her well whenever she decides to pursue something other than javelin."
-Coach Laurier Primeau
Stay tuned for 'Straining and Striving to Tokyo' posts this week!
Quick explanation of how Track & Field qualification for the Tokyo Olympics works:
There are 2 components:
An athlete needs to eligible to compete by either:
A. Achieving the auto-qualifying standard in their event. These were originally set at a tough enough level such that only about half the field would be able to hit this standard; or
B. Any leftover spots not filled by athletes with auto-standard, would be filled based on world ranking.E.g. there are 42 spots in the 5000m, and if 20 athletes achieved auto-standard, an additional 22 athletes would be invited in order of their world ranking.
The world ranking system was introduced in 2019 and is an average of your top 5 performances in the last two years. Bonus points are also awarded for placing high at important competitions. E.g. running 13:30 at the Canadian Championships helps your world ranking more than running that exact same 13:30 time at a Tbirds Performance Trial.
Each country (e.g. Canada) can take up to 3 athletes in each event who are individually eligible as per the above.
If more than 3 athletes from a country qualify in an event (as was the case in several events in Canada this year), the country can still only send 3. If only 1 athlete qualifies, they can only send 1.
Normally Canadian athletes have to compete head to head at the Canadian Olympic Trials to determine who gets to go. But this year due to COVID-19 and many Canadians training & competing abroad and not wanting to disrupt Olympic preparation by coming home to quarantine, Athletics Canada did not make competing at Olympic Trials necessary.
So this year, the Canadian National Team Committee selected which of the qualified athletes would go to Tokyo. Preference was given to those that hit the auto-standard over those that only qualified via world ranking.