Bronte Campbell Counts Blessings Of Olympic Delay That Grant Injuries More Time To Heal

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Bronte Campbell - Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant

Bronte Campbell, the injury-hit double World sprint champion fr Australia in 2015, is counting her Olympic blessings as far as a one-year delay in the Games goes.

Like the rest of us, Campbell would rather not have seen the coronavirus pandemic bring the world to a halt but the postponement of the Olympic Games to a July 23, 2021, start, has also stopped the clock she was racing against to qualify at what would have been Australian trials in June.

The 25-year-old former world champion freestyler has a history of shoulder, neck and hip injuries and the 2019 season had a lot to do with rehabilitation and recovery. Now, Campbell, coached in Sydney by Simon Cusack, is grateful to have been given the extra time. In an interview with SEN Radio today, she said:

“I had a pretty rough start to the year with injury and I was really fighting the clock to get up and running and fit for the trials and then Olympics. I felt like I was going to make it but it was going to be a really tough push and a very fine line. Now I have more time to prepare … there’s definitely some benefits for me.”

If Tokyo were to be called off altogether, her Olympic career would likely be over, says Campbell the younger sister of fellow sprinter and Australia teammate Cate. While there is no “guarantee” that Tokyo 2020 in 2021 will go ahead as planned, postponement, as opposed to cancellation, keeps hope of a final Olympics campaign alive.

Like the bulk of elite swimmers the world over, Bronte Campbell hasn’t had a normal pool session or trained in water for the past month due to pool closures as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown.

The sprinter has been out running but is no fan. She told SEN listeners:

“Running is horrible … but I’m giving it a go. I miss (swimming) so much. I live at Bondi so I’m staring at this empty bay and beach, all I want to do is jump into the water – I just love the feeling of being in it.

“Taking a break from training has reiterated how much I love it. When you’re in it you complain about it but when it’s taken away you appreciate it a bit more.”

Campbell, who contributed to Australian gold in 3:30.65 World-Record time at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, her 52.15 split her bit alongside Emma McKeon (53.41), Brittany Elmslie (53.12) and sister Cate (51.97), did not make the podium in the 50m and 100m free finals as reigning World champion.

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Bronte Campbell claims the 100m gold at the 2015 World Championships in Kazan – Photo Courtesy: R-Sport / MIA Rossiya Segodnya

Given her shoulder problems in the approach to Rio 2016, she was not unhappy with the outcome. She told SEN:

“Surprisingly Rio wasn’t what everyone thought it was for me. That was the year my injury started and I didn’t know how to deal with it and I hadn’t really been able to train properly for eight months.

“In the 100m freestyle final I swum just under 0.5 (seconds) of within my best time which I wasn’t expecting so I was actually really excited with how I ended up performing.

“Everyone thought I should be disappointed but it was a good milestone for me to see I can perform even with the injury, as it wasn’t something I thought I could do.”Bronte Campbell Counts Blessing Of Olympic Delay That Grant Injuries More Time To Heal

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