There aren’t many athlete blogs that don’t mention injury and the devastating effects it can have on you, both as an athlete and as a person. I am no different.

In November 2015, two months after making my debut for the Hockeyroos I tore my right Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) which, as a 12-month return to play injury, meant my hopes for making the Rio 2016 Olympic Team were well and truly dashed.

It happened in a training accident where my ankle got hooked while I was moving forward, which was a pretty nasty way to do an ACL.

I knew straight away that whatever I had done had to be bad, as it felt like my knee had popped out and done a 360-degree rotation (I know, gross).

Before my scan came back, I tried to convince myself that I was being dramatic and that I would be fine, which looking back now, is quite funny because it felt like my knee wasn't attached to my shin.

Deep down I was positive I wasn't going to be playing for a while, but sometimes it pays to have a bit of hope.

When the news was confirmed, I was just devasted. There is no other way to describe the feeling I had, other than pure heartbreak.

I remember trying not to cry because I didn't want the doctor to feel bad about telling me the diagnosis, but the tears were just falling from my face. It took me a while before I could call my parents and tell them the news because I just couldn't say it out loud myself. 

After some extensive rehabilitation, I was fit and ready to play in the 2018 Commonwealth Games and a world cup among other tournaments. It felt like I was finally back on track... but it wouldn't last long.

In January 2019, I did my left ACL.

This was a crushing blow because it would mean another 12-month rehabilitation, and I'd miss out on another Olympic Games. While I was rehabbing, the COVID-19 pandemic erupted which was devastating for everyone, but there was one silver lining for me.

Tokyo 2020 (which had now been moved to 2021) was now in reach and I'm working as hard as I can to make sure I am in Japan next year, wearing the green and gold, proudly representing my country.

They say there is a reason for everything and having a long-term injury taught me a lot about myself, other people and life in general.

My first knee rehabilitation taught me how to be a better athlete.

I figured out how to push myself on a daily basis and how to put in the hard work when no one is watching.

I remember one of the first running sessions I did after surgery (I hadn’t run for 4 months).

It was a hot day and I was running no more than 100m at a time, but by the end of the session, I was alone, laying on the pitch, flat on my back thinking I was going to either pass out or throw up.

I just remember thinking, ‘how the hell am I going to get back to where I was pre-injury’.

But fast forward through 12 months of concentrated, dedicated hard work and I was fitter, stronger and leaner than I had ever been.

Injuries teach you how important the people around you are.

Having a support system that included my family, first and foremost, my close friends, my strength and conditioning coach and my psychologist was imperative and without them, I’m pretty sure I would have struggled far more.

My two injuries also taught me that my sporting career has the potential to be fleeting.

Having this in the back of my mind keeps me grateful that I get to make a career out of my passion but it also challenges me to keep pushing the boundaries of what I’m capable of as I want to milk as much as I can out of myself and my experiences as an elite athlete. 

There is also one special person in my life, whose strength and resilience have encouraged my own...

Stay tuned for Part 3 of Steph's Olympic Diaries, coming soon.