Ironwoman Courtney Hancock says she has no plans on retiring from racing
IRONWOMAN Courtney Hancock has hit back at rumours she is considering following Liz Pluimers into retirement, declaring she has what it takes to win a fourth Nutri-Grain series crown.
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IRONWOMAN Courtney Hancock has hit back at suggestion she is retiring from competition, saying she will be back next summer and possibly competing well into her 30s.
The 27-year-old finished ninth in the latest Nutri-Grain series and outside interests, including a stint on reality TV show I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here!, had led to whispers she was turning her back on the sport.
“A few people have been asking me how long I have got to go because I have been going on and doing different things,” she said.
“I love the sport so much and you can only be an athlete for a small amount of time so I’m definitely making the most of it for as long as I can.
“I can’t finish off on the season I have had and I’ll definitely be back.”
The Northcliffe member said she could mirror the likes of nine-time Nutri-Grain champion Shannon Eckstein and continue into her 30s.
“It depends on the person and their body and for me when I first made the series I wasn’t doing three sessions a day and wasn’t even doing gym,” she said.
“I wasn’t as hard on my body so I have been really lucky with injury and I think I’ll be able to go up into the 30s if I want to.”
Hancock said her passion for racing had never wavered and she has “never wanted to be an athlete who just makes up the numbers”.
“I’ve been lucky enough to know what it feels like to win and I absolutely think I can do it again.
“The day I believe I can’t win is the day I’ll be finished with the sport.”
Her campaign to rise to the top of the women’s standings will begin at the Queensland Surf Life Saving Championships on the Gold Coast, on March 18 at North Burleigh, ahead of April’s Australian titles.
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