Anna Meares is one of Australia’s most revered athletes. A two-time Olympic Games gold medallist and the only Australian to win a medal in an individual event at four Olympics, Anna retired from competitive cycling after the Rio Games in 2016.
Just as her sporting life was never easy but richly rewarding — she famously won a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics just seven months after breaking her neck in a track fall — her adjustment to ‘normal’ life has been filled with stress, pain and heartache ... and ultimately joy.
At the height of her inner turmoil, as her much loved coach fought a brave battle with motor neurone disease and she even began questioning the worth of her sporting achievements, Anna imagined going back to her childhood home, to knock on the door and have it answered by her 11-year-old self. What would she say to her?
'All I could picture was me getting down on my knees and hugging that little girl at the door and saying, "Thank you." I knew what little Anna was about to go through, and that because she would go through all of it and she would never give up, she would become me, the woman I am today.'
This is the compelling story of that 11-year-old girl, her wins, her rivalries and her struggles ... and where she is now.
From Steve Waugh's foreword ...
'Anna’s place in Australian sporting folklore is assured. She has overcome so many setbacks to achieve greatness. Dislocations, torn ligaments, ruptured discs and broken bones — including a life-threatening broken neck suffered just seven months before she won a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics — were her constant companions, but it was her guts and determination that defined her. We all love her because we all want to be like her. Anna Meares is 100-per-cent Aussie through and through.
'We are lucky to have her.'
Just as her sporting life was never easy but richly rewarding — she famously won a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics just seven months after breaking her neck in a track fall — her adjustment to ‘normal’ life has been filled with stress, pain and heartache ... and ultimately joy.
At the height of her inner turmoil, as her much loved coach fought a brave battle with motor neurone disease and she even began questioning the worth of her sporting achievements, Anna imagined going back to her childhood home, to knock on the door and have it answered by her 11-year-old self. What would she say to her?
'All I could picture was me getting down on my knees and hugging that little girl at the door and saying, "Thank you." I knew what little Anna was about to go through, and that because she would go through all of it and she would never give up, she would become me, the woman I am today.'
This is the compelling story of that 11-year-old girl, her wins, her rivalries and her struggles ... and where she is now.
From Steve Waugh's foreword ...
'Anna’s place in Australian sporting folklore is assured. She has overcome so many setbacks to achieve greatness. Dislocations, torn ligaments, ruptured discs and broken bones — including a life-threatening broken neck suffered just seven months before she won a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics — were her constant companions, but it was her guts and determination that defined her. We all love her because we all want to be like her. Anna Meares is 100-per-cent Aussie through and through.
'We are lucky to have her.'