Interview: Bouncing back
Injury, setbacks and a last-minute move to Sydney couldn’t stop long jumper, Lizzie Hedding, from achieving her international athletics goals. With less than a year to go until the Tokyo Olympics, she’s making sure she does everything possible to jump her way onto the Australian Athletics Team.
After 12 years of gymnastics, Lizzie made the move to athletics with the goal to “just see how good [she] could get.” Fast-forward 5 years and she’s just returned from Naples, Italy where she finished 8th at the World University Games.
However, the path to success wasn’t always straight forward: “I tore my hamstring on my third jump at the Commonwealth Games trials last year – it was my first major injury so really forced me to re-evaluate everything I was doing to look after my body.” “There were a few other health challenges and I actually ended up having to move up from Melbourne to Sydney mid-way through the season so, to be honest, I was just stoked to make it onto the plane to Naples. Making the final and finishing 8th was a huge bonus for me.”
On her flight across to Europe, Lizzie tried out our VenoTrain Cocoon Compression Socks to help manage to swell and ensure she was ready to hit the ground running (and jumping).
Instagram: @lizziehedding
“One of the biggest challenges was managing the 24 hours of flying to get to Italy and then being ready to compete 7 days later. Obviously, my feet and ankles are pretty important when long jumping and I was so surprised by how well the [VenoTrain Cocoon Compression] socks worked – I had basically no swelling whatsoever!”
“I’ve also been wearing the calf compression sleeves since I’ve been back at training. I struggle with shin pain and calf tightness and have definitely noticed a difference since I started wearing them.”
Lizzie’s top recovery tips:
“For me, it’s just about doing the little things consistently. Making sure I stay hydrated, stretch regularly, put my compression socks on after a big session and get enough sleep – it all adds up”
We wish Lizzie all the best and look forward to watching her smash her personal bests in the lead up to Tokyo.
As an official partner of the Olympic Games Organising Committee, Bauerfeind is proud to support Australian athletes on their journey to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. #motionislife