The numbers alone are stunning: six Olympic medals, including two golds; 27 world championship medals, including 11 golds; eight Commonwealth Games medals, including five golds. The place of Anna Meares OAM in the pantheon of all-time Australian sporting greats is undisputed.
But even these statistics fail to fully reflect the magnitude of the 32-year-old’s successes. The daughter of a Queensland coal mining father and former state athletics champion mother, Meares grew up three hours away from the nearest cycling club. Years later, a fractured neck vertebrate from a crash while racing almost left her permanently wheelchair-bound. And during a decade-long duel with Britain’s Victoria Pendleton, Meares experienced successive morale-crushing defeats. But time and again, Australia’s 2016 Olympic flag bearer rose to the challenge.
A bronze medal in the women’s keirin on Sunday morning (AEST) may not be the perfect way to conclude this superlative-defying career. But, then, the Rio Games might not be the end of Meares’ racing days at all. Even if the Adelaide-based cyclist does elect to retire following her final event (the forthcoming individual sprint) – Meares has been noncommittal – a podium-placing ride is a fitting way to farewell the sport.
By finishing third, Meares became the first Australian to win an individual medal at four Olympics. Not even swimming greats Ian Thorpe or Dawn Fraser can claim that consistency and longevity. Where she now ranks alongside those Olympians and others is an open question, one sure to be debated at velodromes across the country. Australia may never again see a cyclist like Meares.
At first glance, track cycling seems like a battle of brawn rather than brains. Yet tactics and nerve can be decisive, such that the mental element is often as important as pure speed. It is here that Meares’ upbringing gave her an advantage. Desperate to beat older sister Kerrie, who would later win dual Commonwealth Games gold medals in 2002, a younger Meares lacked the physical attributes to match her sibling. She may have been a “chugger” who “couldn’t go very fast”, in the words of former coach Ken Tucker, but instead Meares developed “this tremendous mental capacity. There was no one better under pressure.”
While physicality would come in time – she is now almost synonymous with the box jump gym exercise – that calmness and tactical nous would never desert Meares. It was on display again in the keirin semi-finals, with careful manoeuvring prior to the final strait allowing her to qualify first.
Meares’ mental toughness is reflected in her personality, and the Queenslander has two distinct sides. When in the public eye, Meares is charming, friendly and on rare occasions can even be incredibly open to the media (she disclosed the end of her 15-year marriage to a newspaper in February). Yet during training and competition, Meares exudes an incredible aura of intensity – it takes a brave onlooker to offer a simple acknowledgement in the bowels of the velodrome.
This competitive persona only made her reaction after winning bronze all the more telling. Despite failing to outsprint Dutchwoman Elis Ligtlee to gold, Meares was buoyant. A large smile spoke volumes about what the podium finish meant in her fourth consecutive Olympics.
When Meares does retire, she will leave a glittering legacy on and off the velodrome. She has been the face of Australian track cycling during its golden era, playing a crucial role in elevating the nation alongside Great Britain as a global powerhouse. She has also helped develop the next generation: acting as a mentor, rival and training partner for her likely successor, offering advice to the fastest rider in the world and even becoming housemates with a promising young sprinter.
Meares has also been a constant source of inspiration for many. Her determination in overcoming that neck-breaking crash, her ceaseless desire for success and her graciousness following the occasional defeat have set a high standard for Australian athletes.
It is apt, then, that the road leading to Cycling Australia’s High Performance Unit was recently renamed Anna Meares Way. Her time on the track may be drawing to a close, but Meares’ legend will continue inspiring Australian cyclists for decades to come.
