It is quite fitting that the conclusion of my trip down memory lane, coincides with the 12-year anniversary of the Beijing Olympics. After Beijing I suffered from, what sports people call, the post-Olympic blues. It is a daunting feeling knowing you have four years of hard work and early mornings before the next opportunity to compete at an Olympics. It is the reason so many sports people call it a day and retire after the Games.
When I look back on it now I am sure I was suffering from depression. Despite winning the bronze medal in the open water 10k, I felt cheated out of the moment I should have cherished. I felt sick every time someone congratulated me on my performance. I hid my medal away and only begrudgingly got it out to show people. I had completely lost the love for