EMMA Snowsill's recent form slump has been traced to the upheaval following a split with her fiance and coach Craig Walton last month.
Olympic champion Snowsill and Walton had been together for seven years, becoming the most successful athlete-coach combination in the sport, as she won three world titles and Australia's first Olympic gold medal.
However, they separated just before Snowsill rejoined the international tour last month. She has since been linked with fellow Olympic champion Jan Frodeno, of Germany, who also won in Beijing.
National head coach Shaun Stephens said the sport's high performance unit was providing Snowsill with support in the wake of the break-up.
"There's only one race that's important for her to do and it's in two years' time (the London Olympics), so we think getting her life sorted should be her No 1 priority now," Stephens said. "We gave her the option of taking the rest of the year off, but she wouldn't have a bar of it. She's very motivated to compete."
She also had to deal with the death of her close friend, sports doctor June Canavan, in a plane crash in Papua New Guinea.
She made a triumphant return to win the world's richest race, the ITU Elite Cup, at Des Moines on June 12, but has struggled uncharacteristically in her last two outings at the world series in Hamburg and London.
Stephens said Snowsill's personal circumstances were affecting her race form. "I think it's the stress she's going through," he said.
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário