https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/sport/local-sport/townsville-devil-rebounds-from-life-turning-setback-to-keep-focused-on-olympic-bid/news-story/aa00e34675e725be63fd80ab41dd9b04 AS HER first Olympic Games dawned, Elle Armit was feeling strong. Her strength in the pool was at a peak, her place among the Australia Stingers solidified and her Drummoyne Devils club were building momentum. But then, as for athletes across the globe, coronavirus ripped the rug from beneath her. “It was definitely a big shock, it was quite devastating in the beginning. It turns your world upside down, and changes to anyone’s life is hard,” Armit said. “A lot of athletes are still putting things in place preparing for life after sport, so it’s hard on that front too. “But it’s for the greater good, it’s something we all have to do.” Despite having 70 appearances for Australia to her credit, Armit is yet to feature at an Olympic Games.
Tokyo had been something she had circled in since the four year cycle began, and the trip would have been the realisation of a dream had since she first got in the pool. Fortunately the showcase has not been cancelled, rather postponed until July 2021. Because of that glimmer, Armit has kept up the pace away from the sport and returned to Townsville. Courtesy of her parents pool and the stinger nets down at The Strand, the 28-year-old has had sufficient outlets to ensure her strength and fitness is maintained. However nothing can quite match the in-game exposure. Armit’s season with the Devils was cut short by COVID-19 just as they were beginning to put the points on the board and make an impression leading into the finals of the Australian Waterpolo League. As a centre-forward the Townsville product was up against “the best defenders in the world” which had served as the perfect opportunity to grow towards the Olympics. A short turnaround is expected when international fixtures can pick up again, and Armit said good and bad could come from this. While there will be less time to prepare, she said they now have the chance to change what was not working prior to the sport’s hibernation. “The experience playing against another country is something you cannot replicate in training, and so it’s invaluable experience to have that,” Armit said. “We had a lot lined up before the Olympics which we couldn’t do so it’s going to be vital we get something in before the Olympics. “I could do a thousand different swim sets to get the heart-rate up; but the skills, awareness – there’s nothing you could do to replicate it. “But we’re in a unique position to rewrite the last year of our training. We get to design that along with the coaches, we can look back and see what worked and what didn’t and put that into a best-case scenario."
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AuthorI covered a vast range of sports and issues in my time with the Bulletin. Archives
June 2020
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