Olympic champion Beth Shriever insists fracturing her collarbone just three months out from the Paris 2024 Games is the perfect preparation to defend her title.
The 25-year-old was a surprise gold medallist at Tokyo 2020, as the East Londoner beat her own idol and two-time champion Mariana Pajon to top spot on the podium.
Shriever has proved it was no flash in the pan with a pair of world titles in 2021 and 2023 but relinquished her crown in May after crashing out in the semi-final, where she picked up her injury.
But the defending champion heading into Paris 2024 believes time on the treatment table has helped her quest to alleviate any pressure heading into the Games.
“Not many people know but four months out of Tokyo I dislocated my shoulder so I have been in this situation before,” said Shriever.
“My prep has gone really well, I have got an amazing team around me who have been helping me with that. I think it is a bit of a blessing in disguise, not fully being obsessed with the Games, I am focussing on the here and now, week by week getting better and focussing on getting stronger and fitter. I can’t believe how quick I have been recovering from it all.
“I am going in with the mentality of I am not necessarily defending it because I will always have that gold medal to my name now, I will always be a gold medallist. It is a clean slate in Paris, it’s anyone’s game.
“If I look at it in that way, it does take the pressure off quite a bit. You have got to be open minded to view it in different ways because otherwise, the pressure can just consume you and then it doesn’t go well.
“It has been good to openly talk about these things and get prepared for it.”
Shriever has been working with a psychologist to deal with the pressure of being the one to beat over the past few years, a marked change from before Tokyo.
The 25-year-old also admitted the rest of her life away from two wheels has also been turned upside down, with her medal a golden ticket to some of the biggest events in the calendar.
“My life is completely different,” she added. “This time around I have got all these titles under my belt which is crazy but also injuries along the way which we weren’t too sure on.
“Going in as defending champion, it is pretty crazy to be honest.
“As soon as we got back from Tokyo, we were in red carpet events and mingling with all these celebrities, it’s a completely different world. It’s mad, it’s absolutely mad.”
Shriever is one of over 1,000 elite athletes on UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class Programme, allowing them to train full time, have access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering medical support – this is vital for his pathway to the Paris 2024 Games.
And after having reaped the rewards of being a professional athlete, Shriever wants to use her platform in Paris to inspire the next generation of female riders – starting with a second Olympic gold.
“To see these young girls stepping up, wanting to push themselves and be part of it, it’s incredible," she said. "The future is bright, we just have to keep pushing it really.
“We have already seen an influx of younger girl riders. I want to be able to encourage more girls to get involved because for me there was no evidence that you could make it as a woman BMX athlete.
“Now they have seen it, it has encouraged way more girls to get involved. I want to help guide girls with BMX careers and show them what you can do. That’s why I always give time to people because I was in their situation once.
“I could have retired there and then, Olympic champion, world title all in the same year. It was like ‘What’s next?’ I sat down with my psychologist, my coach and said what do we want to achieve?
“There were a few things in there like wanting to be the greatest of all time, wanting to get World Cup titles but the main thing for me was making the most of being an athlete.
“It doesn’t last forever so making the absolute most of it, giving it my best every single day and creating a legacy for the next generation.”
Sportsbeat 2024