Source : ABC NEWS
How do you pick up an athlete who has had their world collapse in on itself, right in the middle of a Winter Olympic Games?
That was the dilemma facing Jakara Anthony’s long-term coach Peter McNiel this week in Livigno.
Anthony, a gold medal favourite in the single moguls midweek, crashed out in the super final when it appeared the gold medal was in her grasp.
The 27-year-old was understandably crushed by her mistake.
“There’s been a lot of tears, a lot of conversations had,” Anthony said on Saturday afternoon, after earning her golden redemption in the dual moguls.
But there was little time for Anthony to wallow. The dual moguls competition was just three days away, meaning the path ahead for the now two-time Olympic champion was clear.
“We got back out on the course, had some training and we refocused,” she said.
How she was able to compartmentalise her pain has a lot to do with her coach, McNiel.
Pete McNiel has been Jakara Anthony’s coach since she was 12 years old. (Supplied: OWIA/Chris Hocking)
McNiel has been Anthony’s coach since she was 12 years old, so he understood how awful she felt, even if she displayed a stoic mask in public.
“Singles day was absolutely devastating,” McNiel said.
“She was in unbelievable form. We had great training coming in. She’d done everything she needed to do to back up her gold medal [from Beijing] and just … in the blink of an eye, skis crossed and she had to pull out of the course.
“That night was sleepless. Jak was mortified.
“We, the coaching team, had to rally to come out for the boys the next day.
“So it was really, really challenging after such an emotional day.”
McNiel said the incident that saw Anthony crash out was the same mechanism that saw her crash and break her collarbone in 2024.
Jakara Anthony’s final mistake could have been a lot worse. (Reuters: Hannah McKay)
Adding to the difficulty he and Anthony both faced was the fact that one of his other charges, Cooper Woods, claimed gold the day after Anthony suffered the biggest letdown of her sporting life.
Balancing those emotions took its toll.
“It’s a really weird situation,” McNeil said.
“You’ve just missed the thing that you wanted most and then the team’s winning … you’re devastated and you’re crying, you’re so happy for the team.
“It’s almost more tiring because it’s like this up and down, up and down — you’re happy, you’re sad, you’re happy, you’re sad. It’s like you can’t catch your breath.
“She was absolutely ecstatic for Cooper. As a team we all were.
“But at a certain point in time she had to, she just had to try and get some rest so she could come back out today.”
That must have been easier said than done.
Woods’s victory was an extraordinary high, the release of which is still being seen around Livigno as Australians bullishly celebrate their sporting triumphs in the local bars and clubs.
Balancing the joy Anthony felt for Woods and the pain she felt was a brutal endeavour.
Bouncing back from disaster took a lot out of Anthony. (Reuters: Hannah McKay)
“The emotional toll of what happened is huge,” McNiel said.
“And to be able to then, in just a day or two, be able to come back and perform at the highest level of the sport when she’s been so drained.
“I think it is an absolute reflection of the work she’s done to be able to have that kind of resolve.
“And I think as well, the people around her, our team, the Australian team, they just have so much support for her.
“The coaches and the athletes, you know, our team is really, really strong and we work hard together and we commiserate together and we celebrate together.”
Jakara Anthony’s supporters know the pain she went through this week. (AP: Abbie Parr)
Anthony also credited her support network for helping her through the disappointment.
“I have so many people believing in me, helping me kind of get that belief in myself,” Anthony said.
“Pete’s great with that, I have my sports psychologist, Ben, and another mental kind of coach, David, who were really helpful getting through that and turning that disappointment around.
“I’ve got such a great support crew around me, even my family and friends, they’re just proud no matter what, so that helps mentally as well.
“I’m so lucky to have so much support because that was really challenging to come back from that disappointment the other day.”
So what was it McNeil did?
He just gave Anthony the tools to help herself.
“When you have a situation like that, the athletes need to believe, and they need to know that the people around them believe in them and that they feel supported,” McNiel said.
“The main thing I did was just try and pour out love and support.
“I tried to show her that Australia was pouring out love and support and was just as devastated for her and that her result is not a reflection of who she is and all the work she puts in.
“It’s just a moment on a day and that we could come back out and she can show the world that she can do it.
“Often I put my hand on her heart and say, ‘It’s all within you and one run isn’t a reflection of your ability. You’ve absolutely trained for so many years at such a high level, it’s all inside.’
“I just constantly reassure her that that’s all inside. That it’s all inside her.”
