Katarina Johnson-Thompson has revealed that she lost her motivation after the Olympics were postponed and the planet went into lockdown.
Britain’s world champion heptathlete was four months from going for gold in Tokyo when the plug was pulled on the Games.
Johnson-Thompson admits her “purpose in life had stopped” and she had to go through a process of “resetting expectations”.
“I thought, ‘What’s the point in going to training; what’s the point in even trying to keep this level of fitness?’” she said.
“And then I found when I had a week off, I missed it. When I started to set little goals, it got easier to get up and get out of bed and attempt to start the day.
“Just because I don’t have a competition where I can show off and get that accolade, doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the process.”
Johnson-Thompson felt her life had been “building up” to this Olympic opportunity since she was 12 and that when Tokyo was put on ice “it was like, ‘What do I do now?’
“I’ve had to learn patience in the past and it’s definitely helped me in this period in my life,” she told British Vogue.
“I’ve been waiting a long time to have this moment, but everyone is in the same boat. Every single person is feeling the same frustrations with the world.
"The most important thing I’ve learnt is if it’s out of your control, then don’t dwell on it. I take that into competitions, now I’ve had to apply it to my life as well.”
