Genevieve LaCaze and Ryan Gregson’s love the driving force behind Rio campaigns

AFTER spending three years eating, sleeping and running together, you would think Genevieve LaCaze and Ryan Gregson would have killed each other. Not so.

THEY are the Aussie athletes romancing their way to Olympic glory.

After spending three years of eating, sleeping and running together, the parents of Ryan Gregson and Genevieve LaCaze are shocked they don’t want to kill each other.

But it seems love agrees with the glamour couple of Australian athletics.

Dealing with the emotion of the occasion is one of the biggest challenges for an Olympic athlete, let alone having to factor in someone else at the same time.

The positive is they’re both arriving at the Games in the peak of their powers.

Gregson, the national 1500m record holder, has enjoyed his best season for years and is an outside chance of grabbing a medal in one of the track’s hottest races.

LaCaze has registered 10 personal bests across a number of events in a stunning career turnaround that puts her in the mix for the 3000m steeplechase.

Gen LaCaze and Ryan Gregson under the Harbour Bridge. Picture: Phil Hillyard

“The best part about this year is we’ve both had the season of our lives,” LaCaze says. “It (the relationship) is huge because we have such a crazy lifestyle when it comes to jumping around so much.

“I don’t think many people could do what we do unless you’re in the same training group and having Ryan around has been a huge benefit for me.

“Not only in having company and having a friend through all this but also I have learned from his mistakes.”

The pair are part of the Melbourne Track Club, run by renowned coach Nic Bideau who will have 10 athletes competing in Rio.

LaCaze, 27, has the heat and final of the steeplechase before Gregson is scheduled to run the heats of the 1500m on day five of the athletics program.

She says it’s definitely better this way given her man is the calmer of the two.

“I think he is better at not getting caught up in what’s happening around him,” LaCaze said. “It will be tough but it will be very important for him, whatever happens with me, to make sure he can switch off and focus on his own event.

“The good thing is we have been together for three years now and in no way whatsoever have they all been good experiences at major championships.

“If anything they have been terrible but we have still managed to focus on our own competition.”

Gregson, 26, acknowledges the issue but is confident the couple can make it work.

“It’s hard because I want myself to do really well but I also want her to achieve what she wants to achieve,” he said.

“If any of it became a distraction we wouldn’t want our relationship to get in the way or anything like that.

“At the end of the day even though we’re in a relationship, it’s an individual sport and we’re both in this to get the most out of ourselves.”

Genevieve LaCaze kisses Ryan Gregson after a race.

This is the best Gregson has felt since 2010 with an injury-free preparation having him dreaming of finally fulfilling his potential.

“I think I had five years there of consistent injury but I wasn’t angry, I always had faith that I would get back, maybe at times it was blind faith,” he says.

“I always had faith that I would get back to a position where I am now and be a contender again.

“I don’t know where that faith come from, maybe it’s because I did have a taste at such a young age. I had a taste of being one of the best in the world when I was 20 so I knew what it was like.

“I knew how good it felt, I knew that I wasn’t going to stop until I got that back.

“Now I have got back to that level I just want to stay here for as long as I can and get even better.”

Originally published as Genevieve LaCaze and Ryan Gregson’s love the driving force behind Rio campaigns