Julian Wilson: Surfing superstar ready for first Olympics despite uncertainty surrounding games
Sunshine Coast surfer Julian Wilson says years on the professional tour have helped him deal with uncertainty around his imminent quest for Olympic glory.
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Growing up with a skateboard under one arm and a surfboard under the other, Julian Wilson never imagined his childhood in Coolum would lead him to the world’s biggest sporting stage.
But that is the reality for the professional surfer as he prepares for his first Olympic Games.
“It was never in my wildest dreams that going to the Olympics was going to come into my career in any way,” he said.
“I’m so proud to be in this position and be one of the two guys that’s going to be representing Australia.”
But challenges faced in the lead up to the Games have not washed over him as he prepares to head overseas without his family by his side.
It comes as Japanese media reports Olympic organisers are set to ban all spectators from the Games.
Japan is also reportedly preparing to declare a state of emergency for Tokyo in a bid to kerb a new wave of coronavirus infections.
Organisers had already banned overseas spectators before setting a cap on domestic viewers at 50 per cent of capacity, up to 10,000 people.
Anyone wanting to support athletes has been told to do so by clapping rather than cheering or singing.
Wilson’s family however will be doing a lot more than that from the comfort of their Aussie home.
The 32-year-old set to head to Tokyo on July 20.
“Just navigating what’s going on around the world at the moment is pretty scary,” Wilson said.
“It’s hard there’s no option to take the family with me and experience this.
“It’s an incredible chapter in my career and one that I would love to share with the family but it's just the times that we’re living in at the moment.”
He was undeterred by reports the Japanese public were against the games being held altogether.
“The Olympics is such a monumental moment that’s been pushed back a whole year, which was pretty big,” he said.
“I think all the athletes have put so much time and effort into being part of this Olympics that everybody is going to really respect the rules and do the right thing.
“We’re entering Tokyo with as minimal support as we need.”
He said dealing with uncertainty was a big part of being a professional athlete.
“As a surfer, it’s been OK, we have to be on call all the time,” he said.
“We normally compete nine months of the year so we’re trying to stay out our peak performance levels for that long.
“We have waiting periods of 12 days to surf only three of those days, so waiting around and being put on hold and things being pushed back is not too uncommon for a professional surfer.”
He said he was vaccinated for Covid-19.
“I got my boards yesterday that I’ll be riding at the Olympics, they’re green and gold,” Wilson said.
“That was pretty special, surreal everything became a lot more real yesterday when my boards arrived.
“I’ve just been training flat out, focusing on having my body ready.”
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