Stevens ready to go for gold
DANI Stevens will pack her bag nice and early. Two or three pairs of socks. A spare pair of shoes. Three towels. Plenty of drinks and food.
She will head to bed at a reasonable hour and rise early. She will put herself through a light warm-up – a short jog and some stretching.
If there is time, she may watch a movie to lighten the mood. Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell are the actors of choice.
She will check and recheck her bag 20 or so times before she leaves the athletes village to kickstart her Olympic campaign.
When she arrives at the National
Stadium to begin the qualifying round of the women’s discus on Saturday morning, she will eye off her opposition and the competitive juices will begin to flow.
It has been three long and painful years since Stevens last took on the world. Injury has played havoc with her career, but she is back on the big stage. Back where she belongs.
“I think that is what has kept me going the whole time and kept me coming back from injury – that competitive drive,” Stevens said.
“That will fire me up and I have definitely missed that – I have missed that adrenaline. I have been in Australia for three years and been competing against myself.
“This is the reason I have done all that hard work – to get back to being one of the best in the world and competing against the best in the world.
“It is going to be interesting. I think the moment I see any competition at training or at the competition, it will fire something up inside me.