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Olympian Anna Meares comes full cycle after marital breakup

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Olympian Anna Meares comes full cycle after marital breakup

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OLYMPIC cycling champion Anna Meares has opened up about the emotional breakdown of her marriage.

The 32-year-old Queenslander said she was in shock, devastated and an emotional mess after her husband of nine years, Mark Chadwick, in January last year chose to separate after 15 years.
TOP FORM: Anna Meares believes Australia's current sprint cycling team is simply the best
Australia's greatest-ever female cyclist said the past 12 months had been tougher than recovering from breaking her neck in 2008 and the mental challenges she faced in 2012.

But the support of friends, family, teammates and coaches - who twice convinced her not to retire - meant she was re-focused and would ride on to next month's world championships in London and then likely a fourth Olympic Games in Rio in August.

"For a long while, I had no enjoyment in riding," she said. "I lost my self belief and confidence and lost value in myself and what I was doing.

"It took me a long time to find some fun and allow myself to continue with, and be OK with, being passionate about what I do."

The dual Olympic gold medallist said details of her marriage breakdown would remain private. But by speaking out publicly, she hoped to provide others with an understanding of her inconsistent 2015 season, her highly emotional state, and allow people to see that.

"I've been fighting and working hard to be where I am today, and hopefully where I want to be in Rio later this year," she said.

Meares has spent more time with her family in Queensland in the past year but the demands of training require her to continue living in Adelaide, which she loves.

She said she was eternally grateful for the friends who have stood by her. "And I know if I never win anything else, they won't care."

Which all leads to the present - a month out from the world titles and six months from Rio.

After a dominant performance at last week's national titles, where she won three gold medals from three events, Meares said she was 100 per cent focused.

"Before the nationals, I still didn't know if I could do it," she said. "It's a challenge unlike anything I've faced so far.

"I'm starting to find order again, I'm starting to believe again, and in terms of being an athlete, I'm starting to feel dangerous again."

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OLYMPIC cycling champion Anna Meares has opened up about the emotional breakdown of her marriage. The 32-year-old Queenslander said she was in shock, devastated and an emotional mess after her husband of nine years, Mark Chadwick, in January last year chose to separate after 15 years.

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My cousin Kylah meets Anna Meares at the RACQ CQ Rescue luncheon

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My cousin Kylah meets Anna Meares at the RACQ CQ Rescue luncheon

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My cousin Kylah meets Anna Meares at the RACQ CQ Rescue luncheon

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My cousin Kylah meets Anna Meares at the RACQ CQ Rescue luncheon

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"Anna was pretty chuffed to see a trophy that has her name on it from 20 odd years ago, when she was 12. Kylah is the current holder of the same trophy, also 12." (Terry Norris)

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Rio 2016: The Breaking and Remaking of Anna Meares - Sydney Herald article

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Rio 2016: The Breaking and Remaking of Anna Meares - Sydney Herald article

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Lists her World, Olympic and Commonwealth Titles

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Rio 2016: The breaking and re-making of Anna Meares

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Anna Meares thought she knew broken. Mending had its benefits, but after being the brave- heart Australian story from the 2008 Beijing Olympics where she rebounded from an accident that took her to the brink of paraplegia to win a silver medal, she was beyond done with the status.

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Youtube video

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Good questions and interview

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Anna Meares: Motivation of a Champion
Interview by Declan Holt
Anna Meares is a legendary Australian Cyclist. She has been consistently winning races and world championships for the past 9 years and shows no signs of slowing down.

Most recently she took out another title at the women's keiren during the World Track Cycling Championships in Paris.

The keiren result was her 11th World Championship title moving her closer to Arnaud Tournant's overall track cycling record.

She plays down any lines of questioning regarding her retirement and rallies on her commitment and passion to stay motivated. But what makes Anna so captivating is her down to earth perspective on competition and the mind-blowing effort she puts into her training.

Her well-documented neck injury and lightning fast return to the track in 2008 showed just how driven she was to succeed on two wheels.

Anna is the first woman to win gold for Australia in track cycling at the Olympics and has gone on to claim 11 world championships, 5 Commonwealth Games titles and 2 Olympic gold medals.

You've mentioned patience and frustration can occur when goals and progress start to waver, have you had to work on calming yourself or does your passion give you the energy to break through in a race?

My passion, my commitment and belief in achieving my goals is what drives me. Goals are not set in stone and therefore they need constant reassessment of the situation and realignment of direction to enable you to stay on track as direct as possible. I have trust in the team I work with and we communicate regularly to ensure this happens.

Was it your addiction to riding that drove your recovery in 2008?

No, it was my past experience of racing in the Olympics and my future desire to ride and succeed again in the Olympics. So it was purely goal driven. I learnt however in that experience that no matter where we have been in the past and where we want to go in the future, our attitude and focus on today will have the biggest effect on everything.

The speed in which you recovered from a neck injury is legendary; do you feel you were perhaps putting yourself at risk by returning to competition so quickly?

I definitely put myself at risk! But I believe even though I understood what was happening to me, I think I was somewhat naive to the severity of my situation which allowed me to do what I did.

How does momentum affect your outlook on upcoming events? Do you view each race from the same perspective?

I try to view each race from the perspective of reality. Reality can only be achieved in analysis and momentum going forward if you have all the information, all of the picture to work with.

So this is actually a very difficult process because you don't just look at the good, you look at the bad and all in between from every possible angle that lead into that event.

So things like nutrition, gym, psych, training, happiness, distraction, recovery, the list goes on all comes into play. You have to be thorough.

How important is it to take a step back and really appreciate how far you've come?

Important. I am doing that more now than I ever have. It has given me a sense of peace in my mind that helps with pressure and expectation. No one can ever take from me in any way what I have achieved and I might fall and lose races going forward but I am doing it trying to win and be successful and that can never be faulted in my view by anyone.

What are some of the new strategic elements you've had to work on due to new competitors?

That's a secret for now. Ask me after I retire 🙂

You mentioned you had dreamed about winning your 11th title and meeting Felicia Balinger, do you think your mental imagery training may be crossing over into your sleep?

Potentially. I am a big responder to imagery. I have used this psychological technique for well over a decade and it is a powerful tool for me.

How do you balance the 'having fun' aspect of racing and all of the processes and people that work incredibly hard to get you into racing form?

This has been a very hard balance for me and I have found it harder to balance the older I am getting but I believe I have found the process that helps me and I buy into it, that's the important thing. You can have a process and goals etc. but if you don't believe it and buy into it, then it is wasted.

There is an increasing perception amongst sports audiences that a majority of professional athletes are using performance enhancing drugs what advice would you have for younger athletes to help them avoid unethical training methods?

Sit down and think about what your values are. What behaviors you find acceptable. When you find your answers to these areas you can then align your actions and thoughts in anything you do to this.

Never waver from your beliefs and values of you as a person and how you act in your life!

It is always your choice no matter the pressure or information thrown your way.

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Anna Meares: Motivation of a Champion - Global Sport Coach

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Anna Meares is a legendary Australian Cyclist. She has been consistently winning races and world championships for the past 9 years and shows no signs of slowing down.

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Anna Meares retires from cycling - Nine interview

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Anna Meares retires from cycling - Nine interview

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Lists her medals and championships

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Announcing her retirement, Australia's greatest track cyclist Anna Meares has revealed she needed six cortisone injections to her spine to compete at the Rio Olympics.

The 33-year-old Meares on Sunday officially ended a stellar career highlighted by six medals, including two gold, from four Olympic campaigns, 11 world championship titles and some inspirational feats of courage.

"Obviously a lot of people will be wondering where I am going to post-Rio. With some time in reflection I have decided that I am actually going to retire," Meares told the Nine Network.

She admitted there had been a temptation to go on and finish her career on home soil at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games - where the velodrome is to be named after her - but the wear and tear of a punishing sport had taken its toll.

Meares' decision comes two months after the Rio Olympics, where she was Australia's flagbearer at the opening ceremony and won bronze in the keirin to become the most decorated Australian cyclist in Games history.

Back problems meant Meares was handicapped in the lead up to Rio by being unable to do heavy weight training - a big factor for a sprint cyclist and she struggled in her Olympic sprint title defence - but she kept quiet about the extent of her treatment.

"Having looked back and seen all the things that I have achieved and assessed some of the injuries that I have had to manage going into Rio," Meares said.

"Most people were unaware just to get to Rio I had six cortisone injections through my spine.

"Having had to change tack for six months leading into it and to achieve the things I have, I feel satisfied and happy to step aside from the sport and try something new and different."

Meares won the 500m time trial gold at her first Olympics in Athens in 2004 but it was her performance to win the sprint silver medal at Beijing 2008 after suffering a broken neck in a horror race crash in Los Angeles early in the year that made her name a byword for courage.

She singled out that performance and her sprint gold medal triumph over her great career rival Victoria Pendleton before the Englishwoman's home fans at the London 2012 Olympics as her career highlights.

She had previously contemplated retirement last year following the breakdown of her marriage but decided to fight on to Rio.

For so long a foe, the retired Pendleton was in Rio to give Meares a consoling hug after her disappointment in the sprint title defence when she placed 10th.

"We had the same career, the same experiences ... we really moved the sport on as a pairing and as a rivalry that really captured a lot of people's imagination," Pendleton told AAP.

Pendleton hoped Meares could at least continue competing until the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

"Her home crowd would be a much more fitting send-off for such a huge champion," she said.

But it was not to be.

Meares said she will stay involved with the sport as a mentor to youngsters.

ANNA MEARES CAREER IN MEDALS

Olympics:-

2 gold (500m time trial, 2004; sprint, 2012)

1 silver (sprint, 2008)

3 bronze (sprint, 2004; team sprint, 2012; keirin, 2016

World championships:-

11 gold (500m time trial, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2012; sprint 2011; team sprint 2009, 2010, 2011, keirin 2011, 2012, 2015)

9 silver (500m time trial, 2005, 2009, 2014, 2015; sprint 2004; team sprint 2012; keirin 2003, 2014, 2016)

6 bronze (sprint, 2005, 2007, 2012; team sprint 2007, 2015; keirin 2007)

Commonwealth Games:-

5 gold (500m time trial, 2006, 2010, 2014; sprint, 2010; team sprint 2010)

2 silver (sprint 2006; 2014).

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Anna Meares retires from cycling - Nine Wide World of Sports

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Cycling great Anna Meares has announced her retirement.

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Legend Anna Meares reflects on Rio and career - SBS interview

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Legend Anna Meares reflects on Rio and career - SBS interview

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Speaking to Kate Bates on Channel 7 after her final event, Meares reflected on her career in the midst of the swirl of emotions that must have weighed heavily just after finishing up her Olympics campaign.

"9th to 12th, I must admit, that's brutal... getting put out for a 9th to 12th," said Meares. "But that's the Games... I put these colours on, I ride hard."

Meares hadn't quite looked her old dominant self in the match sprints and had to fight her way through the repechages to make it to the 1/16 finals, before then losing to Chinese rider Zhong Tianshi in the repechages to make the quarter finals.

"It's 10th overall... not what I wanted, I knew that a sprint was going to be very difficult here but I didn't think I'd be that far off the mark. But I've given it my everything and I hope people can forgive me that I didn't deliver this time."

"I've revelled in and loved the role (as Australian team captain), it makes me feel as though it's more a reward for the things that I have acheived, how I've gone about it and who I am.

"I'm really proud of all that, I'm really proud to be team captain, I was extremely proud to walk in that stadium as a flag-bearer and I'm still extremely proud.

"Unfortunately sport delivers highs and lows, the Olympic Games is the Olympic Games, I always go out to win and so does every other bastard too."

Perhaps Meares career-defining rivalry was her battle with Victoria Pendleton over a series of championships and Olympics. It was touching to see her big rival at the Rio velodrome in a commentary capacity, able to share in the moment that the rivals could uniquely understand.

"I just would like to take this opportunity to thank some people, in particular my coach Gary West. In May that last year I was emotionally broken and exhausted, and I picked up the phone to ring him to tell him that I was done, I was quitting."

"He knew something was up because I couldn't talk. He read it, told me a story and shared an experience and said, 'You owe me, you owe this sport nothing but everyone on this team loves you and you need somewhere to go to be surrounded by positive people so just come to training for that reason'. And I did and it got me here."

"That to me is not just the sign of a good coach, a good coach can change the game, a great coach can change a life and he's done that for me in so many ways."

"To all of Australia, thank you."

"I'm a big girl now, but I once was a little girl that just had a dream and I've lived that dream for twenty-two years, I've been immensely proud to where these colours and I hope you've been proud even in the low moments with how I've represented you."

On what was on the immediate horizon for the celebrated champion of the sport, Meares laughed and said, "A holiday, some chocolate and a mighty strong glass of rum."

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Legend Anna Meares reflects on Rio and career

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Anna Meares bowed out of competition at the Rio Olympics with 10th overall in the 9th-12th sprint. It wasn't a performance reflective of her career or even this Olympics after her bronze in the keirin and just missing another bronze by 0.02 seconds in the team sprint.

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Anna Meares is one of Australia's favourite sporting heroes and one of the most talented athletes in the world.

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Australian Olympic Committee: Anna Meares

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Anna Meares, a coalminer's daughter from Blackwater, Queensland, made one of the great comebacks in Australian Olympic history when she won a silver medal in the women's

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Medals: 2 Gold, 1 Silver, 3 Bronze (6 Total); Sport: Cycling; Country: Australia; Years: 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016; See page for full bio and event results.