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Abbey fought a crisis crippling half of athletes. Paris, and more, now nears
A Brisbane Olympian admits she has long suffered with self-doubt. Now, a revolutionary new project is set to extend the careers of her and her rivals.
By Nick Wright
Abbey Harkin says life after swimming is constantly on her mind.Credit: Getty
Surrounded by some of the greatest swimmers to fly her nation’s flag, Abbey Harkin admits she has suffered from an endless battle with self-belief.
“I’ve always doubted myself a lot,” she tells this masthead ahead of the Australian Swimming Championships.
“When I was on the team early on, I never felt like I belonged there because I didn’t think I was good enough.
“Even though I had made the times and had proved I’m good enough to be there, I would love to succeed and be better.”
Now, the Brisbane breaststroke sensation can picture it: standing atop of the Paris podium, triumphant – the culmination of her gruelling comeback from a serious knee injury.
Those dreams have come at an alarming cost for the Tokyo Olympian, one of thousands of elite athletes living below the breadline.
Australia’s gold medal team in the 4x100m medley relay of Iona Anderson, Abbey Harkin, Brianna Throssell and Shayna Jack at the world championships in February in Doha, Qatar.Credit: Getty
Harkin speaks of a “draining” experience as she worked part time and studied business at Griffith University, while adhering to an exhausting training regimen.
She details the harsh reality that “only about 1 per cent of elite athletes benefit from widespread recognition and sponsorship”, as 46 per cent of the athletic fraternity balanced life on an annual income of less than $23,000, according to Australian Sport Foundation findings.
But the 25-year-old, fresh off a victorious World Aquatics Championships campaign in February – claiming four medals with the Australian relay teams – has sought to break the mould, joining Project32.
While her focus remains to attain success in the pool, as she prepares for this week’s Gold Coast-based Championships beginning on Wednesday, Harkin says the future and life after swimming is constantly on her mind.
“More than half of elite athletes have considered leaving the sport in the past 12 months purely because they’re at the stage where it’s hard to think about what we could potentially be doing post swimming,” Harkin said.
“You think about that every single day. It has been a challenge, and I think with this project coming on board, it’ll take a lot of weight off my shoulders and allow me to be the best athlete I can be.”
Project32 intends to pave a path for athletes towards post-career opportunities, aligning corporations with emerging talent to serve as internal ambassadors.
The initiative, created by Bastion Experience and Peak Impact – founded by former Olympic gold medallist Duncan Armstrong – will provide athletes with professional and personal development, career opportunities and mentorship.
The program is set to deliver more than $7 million in athlete development support by the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.
“Olympic dreams come with great risk, with post-sport careers and lack of financial independence often the price paid for a chance at sporting glory,” Armstrong said.
“The aim of the program is to improve the off-field sustainability of an Olympic career, which should in-turn take some of the pressure off athletes, so they can concentrate on their sporting goals.”
Harkin will link with U&U Recruitment Partners through the project, enabling her to envision a life beyond the pool.
Only a few months ago, that life threatened to be an immediate reality.
After tearing the cartilage off the bone in her knee late last year, she underwent surgery to repair what was the first major injury of her career, amid fears her chance to swim in Paris had been taken away.
Harkin ultimately returned in February for a shock World Championships call-up in Fukuoka, but her collaboration with Project32 has triggered a belief Paris would not be her last hurrah.
She said its support would ultimately extend the careers of the country’s leading swimmers.
Abbey Harkin cast injury aside to feature at the World Aquatics Championships.Credit: Getty
“If you asked a swimmer a couple of years ago, a female athlete would stop around 24, 25. But you look at Emma McKeon, Cate and Bronte Campbell, and they’re still in the sport and over 30,” Harkin said.
“I know Cate spoke about potentially retiring after 2021, and look at her now … she knows what it takes and those nerves and pressure are off her back.
“I think that’s why for a lot of athletes, as they get older, this is what they can do. I know what it takes to get here, I made the commitments and dedication, so now it’s time to explore how good I can be.
“The support from these guys [Project32] will really extend that sporting career for athletes because it gives them that flexibility to work, as well as be successful in their sporting career.
“We’re eight years out from Brisbane now, so I think it’s going to be the young generation coming through now, and for us, it’s what we do now to inspire that younger generation.”
Harkin is determined to ensure that, should she reach the Olympics, she is there as a genuine breaststroke medal contender.
She will compete in the 100-metre and 200-metre freestyle this week in addition to her breaststroke pursuits in the 50 metres, 100 metres and 200 metres, ahead of June’s Olympic trials in Chandler.
Now more resilient having endured a frustrating rehabilitation process, she sees a path towards a triumphant Olympics.
“I’d been healthy and injury free, so it’s definitely taken ... a long time to get back into things, and mentally it’s been harder than anything. It definitely takes a toll on you … it’s something that puts a lot of doubt in your mind,” Harkin said.
“[But] I’m in a really good place at the moment. I’ve had a few setbacks in the past 12 months, but I’m training really well and in a really great mind space.
“[The Australian Championships] will be an opportunity to see where I’m at. I’ve been posting some great times in training, so I would hope to see what I can do and if that’s close to a personal best, I’ll be very happy.