Olympic dream as injuries overcome
Brogan Crowley’s injury list is extensive. It would be enough for any athlete to hang up their spikes.
Instead she is looking to bounce back and make the Olympic team this season. Crowley kick-started her season last week in Innsbruck, placing 17th in World Cup 1. If last year is anything to go by, there is no need for concern at the underwhelming start, with Crowley last year building throughout the World Cup season to finish a career-high fifth at the last event.
“I made a lot of progress last year,” said Crowley. “I had a lot more runs than I had done in previous years, just due to injuries previously. Each World Cup I did I bettered my result. I finished with my best result, so it was a good place to be. I was really happy with where I got to.”
The former heptathlete has been plagued by injury since she switched to Skeleton in 2014, selected through the “Power2podium” scheme set up after the Sochi Olympics. Crowley has international silverware at intercontinental, European and junior events but the step up to the World Cup stage has been hindered by ankle issues.
Crowley said: “I have had a lot of surgeries. A lot of the problems I have had were from athletics, but the most recent problem I have had was from a surgery that should have been quite simple.
“I just had a bit of bone removed from my ankle and ended up with a severed nerve when something went wrong. I lost all feeling in my foot. Since then there have been numerous injuries from that. Stress fractures; I ruptured my plantar fascia; it’s just all on the back of that surgery.”
Some consistent summer training this year has boosted her confidence ahead of a second full World Cup season and Olympic year.
Crowley added: “This summer was really positive for me, mainly because I got to the end of it injury free. For me that was successful! But on top of that I got to a good place physically. I was outputting PBS even managing my foot problem. It is really exciting getting on to ice, I saw some of the progress I had made in Beijing, so I am excited to race and show some of that.”
The recent trip to Beijing to train and race at the Olympic track has inspired Crowley, who finished 15th at the test event. She said: “It was incredible out there (in Beijing). It had a lot of expectations but it was just insane to actually see. In terms of the track and its challenges - it’s a really technical track and it’s nothing like I have ever slid before, so it was challenging in that it was completely new.
“There wasn’t really much I could relate to from past experience. By the end of it I was quite happy with where I got to.”
Crowley is not getting ahead of herself about returning to Beijing in February, for what would be an Olympic debut. Instead selection and World Cup performances are at the forefront of her mind.
She added: “For now I’m focussed on the World Cup season. I am a person that just likes to take it day by day, one week at a time, which I think will be key to even qualify for a spot. I don’t like to look too far in the future because it just becomes overwhelming.”
It is hard not to get excited in a squad full of talented athletes. Crowley only needs to look as far as her teammate Laura Deas to see the success of the British Skeleton Programme.
She said: “I really enjoy training with this group. I think there is a really good combination of different people. I think Laura’s experience from previous Olympics keeps everyone quite level headed. We’re all like little puppies compared to Laura, we’re quite excitable! We’re quite competitive in a good way and we challenge each other - it just helps us move forward. It’s good competition and there is a lot of potential this year.”
Crowley continues her World Cup season tomorrow in Innsbruck and we wait and see whether she does enough to be heading back out to Beijing in 2022.