How do you navigate the year after an Olympics? Many British athletes who competed in Paris last summer will be considering this question in 2025.
The year after an Olympics can be challenging. Having dedicated four years of your life to the previous Games, the 12-months that follow can throw up a range of emotions.
Some athletes may be looking ahead to the next cycle, while others could be considering what the future looks like.
Paris silver medallist, Adam Burgess, finds himself in the former camp.
Fresh from winning his first senior individual title at the Oceania Championships, the canoe slalom athlete is looking forward to going again at LA 2028.
A two-time Olympian, Adam is well placed to advise on the year following what is often described as the greatest show on earth and for him, patience is key.
Speaking to the BEAA after winning January’s Athletes’ Athlete of the Month, he said: “The best advice I had before Tokyo, and I followed the advice again [after Paris], was: ‘don’t try and return to training too soon after the Games’.
“I was told to wait without a set date in mind, to wait until you really have that fire again. Four years can be a really long time, so you have to know you are ready to commit.
“I think taking a break is the most useful thing because then you start to miss it. It’s nice to sit with that discomfort.
“I think that’s the way to do it, sit with it and toy with the idea of stopping. For me this time it was ‘let’s go again’. Maybe it will be the opposite answer for some and that’s also OK as well.”
Adam is speaking from a place of experience.
Having acted on the advice he received before the Tokyo Olympics, he returned from his break with a great deal of motivation for the Paris cycle.
He reaped his rewards with a silver medal last summer and is hoping a post-Games pause has a similar impact on his preparations for LA.
“I did take a break [after the Olympics],” he adds.
“I had planned before the Games that I would take the second half of the year to focus on my breath work business and I was kept busy with that.
“It helped because it delayed when I was able to start [training again] and when I did, I had a lot of energy.
“I am really excited about the 2025 season. I got back to training in November and racing in January.
“I had no idea of where I was at before I sat on the start line. It is quite common to question whether you are fit enough [after a break], whether you are still fast, and it was good to answer those questions.
“I had the same experience after my last Olympics in Tokyo. The season after I had so much motivation and a newfound love for the sport, and it has happened again.”
