Australia’s greatest track cyclist Anna Meares has admitted that if it wasn’t for her life-threatening injury in 2008, she “wouldn’t have had as long a career”.
Four-time Olympian Meares on the weekend became one of the nations’ newest members of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
The now-retired track cyclist holds a special record as the only Australian to have won medals at four consecutive Olympic Games.
“There’s probably no honour of recognition that comes much higher and there are eight inductees this year… for me, it’s nice to be recognised in that manner and have all those years of hard work and achievements noticed,” Meares told Wide World of Sports.
Meares won six Olympic medals in her career – gold and bronze at Athens 2004, silver at Beijing 2008, gold and bronze at London 2012 and bronze at Rio 2016.
She also won 11 world championship titles.
The 38-year-old, whose career spanned nearly 16 years, credited much of her longevity to the serious neck injury she suffered in 2008, which was seven months before the Beijing Olympics.
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During the Cycling World Cup in Los Angeles, a collision in front of Meares led to the Australian clipping the back wheel of another competitor, causing a crash at 65 km/h. She dislocated her right shoulder, suffered skin abrasions and tore ligaments and tendons, but that wasn’t the worst of it.
Meares fractured her CT vertebrae before scans revealed she was only two millimetres from a clean break, which could’ve resulted in quadriplegia or death.
“One of the things I’m proud of is the consistency I’ve had over a long period of time in my career – 16 years at the elite senior level,” she said.
“To be up there every year is a big accomplishment.
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“My rivals and competitors constantly changed and their strengths and weaknesses constantly changed… I had to constantly, not just physically be on top of my game, but mentally, emotionally, tactically and technically.
“I understood and recognised early after my accident in 2008 – my gratitude changed, my outlook changed, my attitude changed and I started to realise how rare an opportunity to be at the Olympic Games was. How rare it was to win and how rare it was to wear the green and gold.
“Honestly, if I didn’t have my accident, I wouldn’t have had as long a career.”
Asked what moment she cherished most in her career, Meares said the 2012 gold medal at the London Games had to be “top of the tree.”
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The 2012 Games was a special one for Meares, who worked closely with coach Gary West before he lost his battle with motor neurone disease in 2017.
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“There were a few moments that were very, very special,” she said.
“The win in London (2012) with Gary West in the team – all the work we did strategically behind the scenes.
“But since Gary lost his battle with MND, obviously that would have to be at the top of the tree.
“That was very special.”
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