Paris Olympics: Hong Kong triathlete Brown chasing Games spot months after nearly quitting sport
- Bailee Brown has ‘sights on Olympic qualification’ year after nearly leaving sport for finance career
- Triathlete ‘doubted I could get better and was not sure I could make it professionally’
Hong Kong triathlete Bailee Brown will enter the new year with her focus solely on earning a spot at the Paris Olympics in July, a far cry from 12 months ago when she nearly quit the sport entirely.
The double Asian Games bronze medallist had a crisis of confidence at the end of 2022, when she felt as though she was “not improving how I wanted, and doubted I could get better”.
But a heart-to-heart with Hong Kong triathlon coach Andrew Wright, coupled with speaking to a therapist, forced a rethink, and the 23-year-old will enter 2024 duelling with closest rival Ekaterina Shabalina of Kazakhstan for a place at July’s Games in France.
“I was not sure last year if I could make it professionally,” said Brown, who was part of the Hong Kong mixed-relay team in Hangzhou. “Andrew and I were not entirely on the same page, he could tell I was not fully into it.
“We had a long debrief and that set us up for a really good year. The coach-athlete relationship is so important and we are very transparent with each other.
“I spoke to my friends, too, and also to my therapist. I first went to see her during Covid, and she helped me navigate that time. Everyone has struggles, and it is good to have someone to talk to.