Sam Willoughby tells Crows to embrace the daily grind knowing it does not guarantee success

BMX Olympic medallist Sam Willoughby has spoken to the Crows to share his inspiring story of recovering from a broken neck in a training crash over two years ago.

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BMX Olympic medallist Sam Willoughby has spoken to the Crows to share his inspiring story of recovering from a broken neck in a training crash over two years ago.

The 27-year-old returned to his home in Adelaide last week for just the second time since his accident in September, 2016, which left him a C6 incomplete quadriplegic.

Willoughby suffered two fractured vertebrae and a severely compressed spinal cord just weeks after competing in the Rio Olympics but defied the odds to stand at his wedding on New Year’s Eve in 2017.

He remains in a wheelchair but is in the gym every day and does therapy three times a week to lead an independent life.

“I continue to make improvements. I still don’t have much voluntary movement in my legs but I can use my upper body and core strength and do new things and use my body in different ways,” Willoughby said.

“I can stand but I’m holding onto things, and I’m fully independent now, I can drive a car and travel by myself so that’s been the biggest goal for me.”

Willoughby is in the gym every day and does therapy three times a week to continue his recovery from a broken neck.

Willoughby and wife Alise - an American BMX world champion and Olympic medallist - were in Adelaide last week for a wedding and his new public speaking engagements.

“We scheduled about four talks as a bit of a test run for me to see if I liked it, and also as a favour to a few groups who had helped me out over the years,” Willoughby said.

“So it was good for me to get my feet wet so to speak, I was a bit nervous but they all went really well.

“The Crows one was the most nerve-racking because they were the guys who I looked up to and my story probably relates to athletes in a lot of respects.

“But actually it was easier than I expected just because you realise you’re not trying to sell anything, I’m really just telling my story as honestly and openly as I can and try to get the key message across of embracing the struggle and explaining how I did that in my career and obviously the situation now.

Adelaide players listening to Willoughby speak last week. Picture: AFC.

“It’s a pretty unique situation in a lot of ways - going from the highs of sport to the lowest of lows and back to where I am now.”

Willoughby urged the Crows to embrace the daily grind of training and trying to improve knowing that it does not guarantee success or a premiership. The 2012 Olympic silver medallist has been a Crows ambassador and received text messages from Rory Sloane and Taylor Walker after his accident.

“It’s about learning to enjoy the process knowing that there are no guarantees, that it doesn’t entitle you to anything,” he said.

“You could do everything right and as best you can but it still doesn’t entitle you to any sort of outcome but you can still enjoy doing it.”

The most common question he’s been asked at speaking events is “do you have down days still?”

“I tell my story and try to present myself as best I can and when people ask that it’s like ‘yeah, absolutely’ but I think for me that’s sometimes refreshing because they are seeing me in a positive way,” Willoughby said.

Alise is going full steam ahead for next year’s Tokyo Olympics and Willoughby is also coaching good friend and Australian BMX star Anthony Dean.

Willoughby, pictured at the Rio Olympics in 2016, is now coaching good friend and former teammate Anthony Dean. Picture: Adam Head.

“Alise is doing really well, she had an undefeated season in the US last year and won some world cups,” he said.

“The goal this year is to try to get that world title back and continue the journey towards Tokyo.

“I’ve had a couple of chats with Cycling Australia, I’m in close contact with Wade Bootes who is the current coach and I coach Anthony Dean now so I’m helping on that front.

“I would love to be involved more with them in the future and help mentor in any way I can the next generation, but at the moment it’s a bit complex because my main priority at the moment is helping Alise and she’s American so I can’t give too many secrets away to the Aussie girls.”

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Originally published as Sam Willoughby tells Crows to embrace the daily grind knowing it does not guarantee success