Okay, Let’s Spill The Tea ;)

I’ve been back in the clinic for 1 day and what do all the patients want to know??

What is it like inside the Olympic Village and behind the scenes at an Olympic Games - The sporting pinnacle that stops the whole world for 2 weeks.

So it’s pretty cool.

Arriving at the Games

Olympic Village

When you first enter the village, it is super overwhelming, and this is coming from someone who has attended a previous Olympic Games. It’s easy to get lost cause all the towers look the same, you are constantly looking out for the green and gold or stalking other Aussies to lead you back to the Australia Tower. But after 24 hours you know where the dining hall, transport mall, gym and recovery areas are so you are all set.

Opening Ceremony & Celebration

Athletics is the 2nd week of the games so we always arrive late to the village once the games have commenced. The village is a giant puzzle and because the athletics team is the largest of all the Australian teams we start to trickle in once other sports have finished competing. We were in Montpellier at our Australian Team Camp for the opening ceremony and hosted our own celebration. You are presented with your Australian Team kit in camp, I was pretty stoked with my Asics joggers, July suitcase and keep cup, plus your endless supply of green and gold shirts, shorts and trackies 🙂.

AccoMmodation

The beauty of arriving late is we get all the tips and tricks from the other sports to make our arrival and experience more comfortable. Yes, we slept on the cardboard beds BUT we were provided with mattress toppers this time which made a big difference.

Yarning Circle

We met at the Yarning Circle ↗ for our first team meeting, this is a traditional Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander practice to bring everyone together and discuss the important points of the Games.

Catering

The Australian tower was more impressive than Tokyo. Our Tucker Box provided plenty of food options for breakfast and lunch, so we only had to venture to the dining hall for dinner. The dining hall is amazing but after about a week it can become a bit monotonous, so we are very lucky to have other options so close to home.

No, I didn’t eat one of the chocolate muffins.

Yes, they were everywhere. I’m more of a cookie fan so I chowed down on plenty of those during the 2 weeks.

The Aussie baristas were back to keep us well caffeinated (hot tip - all athletes need are a track, gym, food and good coffee to keep them happy 🙂). There was also a Costa Coffee shop where you could get a personal photo printed on your coffee, check out cute Fletchy. I made sure I got my Olympic Ring photos early before the athletics competition started, you always need to tick that box and make sure you are wearing good kit for those shots.

Preparing for the Race

Facilities

We have our own gym and recovery centre in the Australian tower. This is super important to minimise the chances of getting sick. We all know these places are germ city and you would be surprised at the number of athletes who get sick during competition. There are also lounges, bean bags and chairs with multiple TV’s downstairs showing the Aussies competing. The AOC provided a fantastic cross-team environment, it was very easy to make new friends from other sports and support all athletes.

TraiNing

My job was to assist the sprinters and hurdlers of the Australian Athletics Team ↗. Each day we would go to the track for a morning and/or afternoon training session. The training track can be pretty hectic with athletes and event groups so you need to be savvy when it comes to training times and gaining access to equipment. Let’s say some countries aren’t as friendly as us Aussies, it’s not uncommon to have a bit of a scuffle over some hurdles.

Then the competition starts

Race day

The nerves start to kick in, the tension rises and the athletes walk into a stadium of 80,000 screaming fans. This was easily the greatest and loudest stadium I have ever been in. The purple track was electric and the atmosphere was incredible.

Looking Back

Insights

Coaching at an Olympic Games is one big emotional rollercoaster. You start each day with no expectations, but hope your athletes are ready and perform well. That’s all you want for them but it’s out of your control. Every session you get a mixed bag, some will be over the moon celebrating a semi-final berth and PB, others completely devasted. So, we ride the really high highs and the low lows, trying to support the athletes and coaches as best we can.

Highlights

I have learnt A LOT from my Paris Olympic Experience, and I know this will better me as a coach moving forward. But let’s move onto the highlights:

Watching Sarah compete in the women’s 400m hurdles
The Australian Athletics Team won 7 medals; this is our best result since the Melbourne 1956 Olympic Games!!
Trying not to fan girl hard over all the athlete celebrities in the village
Working alongside a great bunch of staff in the Australian Athletics Team
Having my family travel with me. Athletics Australia ↗ has been super supportive of athletes and coaches with young families. Chris and Fletcher attended our Team Carli staging camp in Nice & the Australian Team staging camp in Montpellier