Olivia Breen: From the lowest low to world champion
When asked what her biggest challenge has been in her career, Olivia Breenโs answer is almost like a reflex.
โRio 2016, definitely,โ she says.
Four years ago, Livvy was expected to do big things at the Paralympics in Brazil.
After appearing at London 2012 as a 16-year-old โ and picking up a bronze medal as part of the T35-38 4x100m relay to boot โ it felt like her time.
Her smile and uplifting personality has already made her one of the most popular athletes around but in Rio she had high expectations of herself.
Sadly, the results didnโt come but it was that utter disappointment that proved to be the launching pad for the success to come.
Now she can call herself a double World Champion โ in the relay and also the long jump โ and a Commonwealth Champion.
Listen to the podcast episode below
โI was going into the Games and I canโt remember what I was ranked in the long jump โ fifth, I think,โ she explains.
โAnyway, complete disaster and I came 12th. Came seventh in the 100m โ disaster.
โI was going into Rio saying, โI want to come top five in everythingโ.
โSo, I came seventh in the 100m and I was like โok, thatโs not bad but I came fifth in the 100m in London 2012โ.
โAnyway, I thought Iโve got the long jump to come โ โletโs do this, we can get this going, positive mindsetโ.
โThen I came 12th โ complete disaster! Got two no jumps, got one jump that was awful. Like embarrassed awful.
โThen I was like โok Iโve got the relay to comeโ and I got told an hour before that I wasnโt in the team.
โI was like โbrilliant this is an utter disasterโ so my parents were like โLivvy we need to come up with a planโ.
โObviously I was ok, but I was really gutted. Iโd worked so hard for the last four years and Iโd left home and moved my career to North London.
โI learned a lot about myself, so I thought right โ my parents said they just want me to be happy and do whatโs best for you โ and I said โno Iโm going to go up to Loughborough and Iโm moving coachesโ.
โI moved coaches, best thing ever, and less than 10 months later became World Champion and I was like โok this is good!โโ
โI knew if I was to become a better athlete, I had to change somethingโ
That move to Loughborough and a switch of coach โ to her current trainer Aston Moore โ proved to be a masterstroke.
Livvy went on to achieve so much from that moment on, summed up perfectly by that long jump gold at the 2017 World Championships in London.
โI met my coach, whoโs my coach now and who I moved to Loughborough for, I met him in Rio,โ Livvy continues.
โWe just got on. My coach before was great but I knew I just needed to move up to the next level and the next step.
โI knew if I was to become a better athlete, I had to change something.
โI just thought โthis coach knows me a bitโ so letโs build a relationship, letโs see if heโll have me and he took me on.
โIt was the best thing ever and Iโm so thankful to have him as a coach.โ
LISTEN: Patrick Foster: The brutal reality of a gambling addiction
But as well as the coaching side of things there was another big difference with Livvy when you compare the athlete that turned out at the 2016 Paralympics to the athlete who won gold in London 10 months later.
โConfidence,โ Livvy says. โI was definitely more confident, and more mature because Iโd moved to Loughborough, and I was more independent as well.
โMy coach had worked really well with me and it was just little things to tweak โ the runway, the speed and just the technique for take-off as well.
โLooking back at my technique I was like โwhat is that!โ He improved me so much as an athlete and as a person.โ
โWith the masks itโs impossible for deaf peopleโ
Remember, Livvy has only just turned 24 with so much yet to come in her career. Everything this year had been geared towards the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games โ and then the pandemic arrived.
With Tokyo 2020 now Tokyo 2021 itโs brought a heap of challenges for so many athletes who have had to push the reset button all over again.
Livvy is no different as she moved back home with her family and is making use of the training facilities she has at her home.
But itโs also the everyday changes that the 24-year-old is having to adapt to in entirely new ways.
Face masks are the main example here. While all of us are growing accustomed to needing them they present a real challenge to people who are deaf โ just like Livvy.
LISTEN: Grรกinne Walsh: How Katie Taylor changed her dreams
โWith the masks itโs impossible for deaf people,โ she says.
โObviously we lip read so much, and my reliance is on lip reading, so with the masks we canโt see their mouths and what theyโre saying.
โIf theyโve got the see-through bit thatโs amazing because you can actually see what theyโre saying.
โBut, when they havenโt got it, itโs impossible so if youโre on public transport or in a shop youโre by yourself.
โIf you get a person who is rude to you, and they donโt understand, thatโs going to make me feel really uncomfortable and you could lose your confidence.
โItโs going to be really hard and life-changing, definitely. I just wanted to raise the awareness as much as possible.โ
โPeople need to be more open-minded inโ
Of course, itโs not just face masks where there needs to be a greater level of understanding.
If the last few months have taught us anything itโs that we, and society, have a long way to go in order to become truly accepting.
โWeโve definitely got a long way to go but Iโd say with Black Lives Matter it is definitely making people more aware of racism and also diversity and just trying to get the awareness out there, Livvy says.
โI think it has definitely improved but I still think we have a long way to go.
โPeople need to be more open-minded in general and be more accepting to disability, racism and everything really.
โLondon 2012 really helped disability. People really warmed up to the Paralympics in 2012 โ obviously it was a home games as well โ and Iโve definitely seen more of a difference since then and I think it could still improve a lot more.”
She continues: โBut I donโt want people to forget about it. I want people to keep remembering that there are para-athletes, there are disabilities, there are other things out there.
โYou just have to be more open-minded to accepting it.โ
Some would also argue that one of the ways of encouraging those uncomfortable conversations is to protest.
Itโs something weโve seen across numerous sports, such as football, with all players taking a knee before kick-off.
Currently the Olympics and Paralympics ban protest but itโs something Livvy would like to see change.
โI would like to be able to say that other athletes would take a knee,โ she adds.
โI think it would be really good like, for example, Lewis Hamilton and how he took the knee as well.
โItโs just good to get as many people to take the knee to understand why weโre doing it and to understand why we want to do it and to support Black Lives matter as well.โ
โI couldnโt be more thankful for sportโ
After being diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of two, Livvy has fought right from day one.
But there is absolutely no doubting just how vital her sport has been for her.
โItโs given me everything,โ she says.
โItโs given me confidence, self-belief and a career I never saw myself going to.
โTo compete in front of 80,000 people when I was 16 I was thinking โthis is amazing!โ
โItโs given me so much. Itโs made me leave home, itโs given me income, itโs given me amazing people and independence as well. Thatโs a big thing.
โItโs given me a big life change and I couldnโt be more thankful for sport and I think if anyone wanted to try sport give it a try because you never know where it will take you.โ
Livvy adds: โWhen I was younger, I was really wobbly, and sport has helped my disability so much.
โItโs given me more stability, helped my everyday life and my concentration in school.
โThatโs so weird because you wouldnโt say it helps your concentration, but it actually does.
โI love the lifestyle as well, the healthy lifestyle is really good for me.โ
Interview: Alasdair Hooper
Words: Alasdair Hooper
Image credits: With thanks to Olivia Breen
All music in this episode is courtesy of Otis McDonald.
Categories