Champ Day is broken but not beaten
Ali Day was meant to be the face of the 2019-20 surf lifesaving season in the wake of Shannon Eckstein’s retirement, although things didn’t pan out,
ALI Day poses with mesmerising calm atop a set of monkey bars.
Rays of Gold Coast afternoon winter sun gaze down on him as he works with Surf Life Saving Australia staff and photographers to promote their new Beach Warrior obstacle race.
Irony soon steps in. Having given up an afternoon in July to give back to the sport he loves, Day’s surroundings quickly become frightfully unforgiving.
The two-time Nutri-Grain Ironman Series champion and six-time Coolangatta Gold winner slips and plummets towards the ground.
His hands bear the weight of his fall and when he glances down, they look unrecognisable to what they did mere
seconds earlier. Day is rushed to hospital and told by nurses, even before scans, that both his wrists are broken and he would require surgery.
“This happened to me and I have no idea why but it’s just another chapter to my story,” Day says.
Nine months, 22 plates and screws and two broken wrists later, the Surfers Paradise champion is one step closer to signing off his latest stanza.
CLEARING THE FIRST HURDLE
WHILE the surf lifesaving world sat in hope of a hasty return, Day was fighting a ferocious war to save his 10-year professional career.
“I started doubting if I was ever going to win a race again or even get back on the starting line again,” the 29-yearold said.
“Now and then, there might be a day or a moment where it would niggle a bit or I’d be a bit further behind than I thought I would be at that stage.”
Injury and illness have plagued Day before.
In 2013, excessive fatigue forced him to withdraw from the Nutri-Grain Ironman Series just a few weeks after winning his second Coolangatta Gold.
However having been through the disappointment before didn’t make his latest setback any easier to swallow.
“The last few months have flown by but in that period of time from July to October and November, I really struggled physically and mentally,” he said.
“I just had to take it one day at a time.
“I’ve had some great people around me who have and continue to help me and I’m happy and proud in the way I’ve handled it.
“There are even more hurdles I’m going to have to overcome but it is part of my story.”
WATCHING FROM THE SIDELINES
THE name Day is synonymous with the Coolangatta Gold.
A record six-time winner, including four back-to-back titles from 2015-18, 2019 could have been the year Day made it five straight.
But instead, he agonised on the sidelines as his former Mooloolaba training partner Matt Bevilacqua went on to win his first title.
Day knew in October that he’d be sitting out the entirety of the surf lifesaving season, but knowing his body simply couldn’t have withstood the rigours of the near 42km torture marathon didn’t make watching any easier.
“The weekend of the Gold was really tough for me,” Day said.
“Every weekend of the series was tough.
“It wasn’t until the last round when I was able to sit there and enjoy watching the sport.”
As the Nutri-Grain series wrapped up, surf stars turned their attention towards the state and Aussie titles.
But what they didn’t plan
for was a global virus pandemic to hit.
Both events were rightly cancelled as the summer came to an abrupt end.
Instead of feeling lucky or validated that he wouldn’t be forced to miss yet another event, Day was gripped by remorse.
“I got all these texts from mates saying ‘what a year to miss’ but I feel extremely sorry for everyone who was set to race,” he said.
“I feel really sorry for the kids, the administration staff, the people who love Aussies, so everyone.
“I just felt really sorry for everyone involved.”
LIFE BEYOND SURF LIFESAVING
HAVING the thing you love ripped away from you so suddenly hurts.
But the chasm left by surf lifesaving was just as quickly filled.
In April, a few months before his accident, Day married long-time sweetheart Kel King. Time at home working on his external relationships and business became Day’s new norm.
“I was at home a lot with my wife and was able to connect with friends and do things with family a lot more,” he said.
“I had more time to work on my business (ACTV Strength Co, a boutique gym in Burleigh) and now if I retired, that’s something I’m very passionate about and I’d love to go into.
“We sold our duplex and bought a house.
“So many things have come out of it and I know they wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t have that time.”
Ever philosophical, Day believes his injury was a gift – like giving a pair of socks to a child, the recipient at first confounded before realising the purpose they serve.
“It’s not like I ever took racing or training for granted but when I do get back, I’ll have a different perspective on things,” Day said.
RETURN TO RACING
FRESH off winning his second Nutri-Grain series and sixth Coolangatta Gold title, Day was gearing up to do it all again.
“I had this super plan to go and win another Gold and win the series and win the Aussies and look what happened to me,” he said.
“The goalposts can shift at any time.”
Mere months ago, Day held fears for his career.
Now, he holds a metaphorical pen in his hand, counting down the days until he can etch his name on to the Coolangatta Gold trophy for the seventh time.
Be it 2020 or the year after that, all Day wants is the chance to line up once again on the starting line and embrace the injection of nerves that comes with it.
“I’m making progress each day so if I keep striving towards that, I’ll hopefully be in good stead come October,” he said.
“There were times when I thought I’d need more operations but I’m at the stage now where I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“I’m craving the feeling of that nervous energy and anxiety.
“Pressure is a privilege and when I do retire, I’m going to miss racing and having a target on your back.”