Thread by @KateAllenby, So from 8pm tonight I’ll be live tweeting the Mod Pen Sydney [...]

So from 8pm tonight I’ll be live tweeting the Mod Pen Sydney Olympic day that led to this ... it was 20 years ago, so I might have to go for a bit of a nap in the UK nighttime as I’m a bit older now... watch out there’s a surprise in there @PentathlonGB

Just to whet your appetite, here is a YouTube link to the competition day. You’ve got to remember, this was before Google, when Kodak sold cardboard cameras...

4am We knew the shooting was going to be at 0630. I knew I was best at shooting at 3pm not at 6am. I’d been getting up 30mins earlier every day for the past week so the 0400 alarm call would help me be most alert for 0630 shooting.

4.30am We breakfasted with Audley Harrison and a few members of TeamGB drifting for 430am munchies. Steph and I had the same breakfast of champions - muesli fruit and yogurt then headed off with our coaches and our 20kg competition bags to the bus.

“We’re heading to the Olympics”

5.30am At the range everything felt familiar. We signed out our guns from the organisers and went into our competition prep. I felt nervous but ready

6.15am We were allowed onto the range finally to warm up & my gun fitted to my hand like a glove. I was facing my good Polish friend Paulina Bosnisz. We wished each other luck as the warm up drew to an end. We did the same when we shot next to each other in Athens 04

0630 I loaded my first shot “am I ready” “yes, you are ready” START .. breathe in.. raise the gun above the target, focus on the foresight, breathe out and lower through the target. Mini breath. Super focus... fizzzzzzz the pellet went ... super focus, follow through

0631 I start counting, rhythmically - It keeps me calm.

0632 I smile at the funny photo memory I keep on the range with me. It keeps me calm. 19 more shots ... super focus ... fizzz .... breathe in ... foresight breathe out .. fizzzz

I’m going to fast forward time a bit here.. like I said, I might need a nap.

0715 fizzzzzz the last shot goes. I remember nothing.

0716 Random breathalyser test with anti doping

0730 I leave the range. Happy. Not bad. Not my best. In the pack. Coaches sanguine. Grandstand beginning to fill with friends.
Time for a snack and a drink.

0800 Get changed for fencing.

0830 We start warming up. I’m (over) excited. I love fencing. Feeling furiously strong. Coach tells me to calm down & (please) start hitting him with my epee not punching him with my epee. I reset, lighten my grip on the epee & drop my shoulders. I feel easy, fast, strong, ready.

0900 First fight against Steph, she brilliantly draws my attack. In my excitement I go feet first and I parry her blade onto my knee. Beginners error. I reset.

0915 Into the zone. I remember nothing. I win hits in attack, in defence. Im smiling. I fence well when I smile.

1015 I come up against Australia’s Kitty Chiller. All the AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE is going off around me. Double hit. Double hit double hit. (They don’t count). We go down to the last second of the fight....

With one second left on the clock....
If time runs out, we both lose. I’m on my back line. If I step off my back line, the fight is hers.

I run through my plan in my head as the Ref calls us to position to fight that last second

1016 She attacks with an enormous lunge

1016 I start a 1/2 step back.

1016 As I step my arm has already reached out.

1016 She goes low, I go high and attack

1016 We clash

1016 That 1/2 step made the difference.

1230 Fencing ends. I’m in 3rd, equal score with 2nd with regular rival and super consistent Russian Eliza Suvorova in the lead. Steph has fenced well too and is in the chasing pack.

1300 it’s been impressed upon us we MUST walk through the Mix Zones after every phase. So far they had all been empty.

We walk across the Olympic Park to the Aquatic Centre. There was a bus but I think it was 2 mins and we missed it. I’m a bit hazy on this detail.

Like James Bond and his 00 status, it seems we’ve not eaten or drunk much so far.

The fencing event is where we’ve snacked all the way through, so we don’t reach lunchtime at the pool STARVING

1315 We change for swimming and head to the warm up pool. It’s surprisingly warm and shallow.

After a long fence, it’s nice to get in the water.

I feel good, fast and strong.

1330ish I’m racing in the same full body suit as Ian Thorpe. Steph is already racing while I’m struggling into my suit. It takes 20 mins. Remember trying to put on tight jeans as a child after swimming. This is 100x worse.

1350 I arrive in the call room. The rest of my heat are already there.

The call room is an interesting place. Some sit quietly. Others are doing some kind of exaggerated arm swing/body slapping exercises. Some are prowling around like caged lions. Some are chatting.

We go out for our race I’m in lane 6. I hear the Brits in the crowd shouting. Steph has swum a pb

1400 I dive in, pop up & pick up my stroke. Immediately I’m utterly distracted by the underwater camera. I’ve not raced with one before. It whizzes on tracks beneath you, taking its pace from the swimmers. I’m watching it whizz along below me as I reach 75m of my 200m race

By 100m I’m chasing this camera along the pool - it’s the only way I can think of to not be distracted by it. Luckily we both go pretty fast as I swim a seasons best time. Still in 3rd. Eliza in 1, Emily DeRiel (USA) in 2. Steph in the pack still.

The Mix Zone is still empty. We change and are told off by Athlete Services for missing the bus to the pool and are herded onto the bus to go to the Baseball Stadium (2mins away) for the ride and run.

1430 We arrive in the dungeons of the Baseball stadium to a full buffet style lunch with cutlery wrapped in white napkins. I think it was Beef Burginon. I’m not hungry. I prefer to stick to my competition planned food I have with me. Maybe I have some rice.

1500 I think we walked the riding track a couple of days previously. We go into the arena for the draw and I pull my ping pong ball out of a lottery style machine. I’ve got a horse called Ganmain. Steph has Wagga Wagga.

I’ve gone wrong with the timings somewhere as we started riding at 1400. I’ll reset the clock to 1400

The horses are immaculately turned out and beautifully prepared by the Team at Charles Stuart Uni in Wagga Wagga. We used these horses in the Test event 12 months previously. They are superb.

We get 20 mins and 5 practice fences for our warm up. It’s strictly monitored. I take my own reins and stirrups with me to the warmup area. Istvan my coach comes with me. We have a plan for the warm up and we have as much info on Ganmain as possible.

My friend Alex from Tetrathlon days is watching the warm up. She’s a great dressage rider now. She gives me a huge thumbs up at Ganmain.

Gainmain is beautiful. He’s 16.2 Aussie thoroughbred. Jet black. He’s beautifully trained & I’m having a whole load of fun on him warming up

Meanwhile the tricky up to height track is causing carnage. By the time I enter the ring, there hasn’t been a clear round.

I’m furious with myself. I rode both dog-leg lines wrong and Ganmain tipped a rail both times. We did manage to keep the last line of oxer oxer upright, followed by a v short 4 strides to some full up wavy planks. Most had knocked these down.

I’ve moved up to 2nd. Steph is in 8th out of the front of the pack.
We both know a medal is on the cards for both of us at this point.

We miss the mix zone but the press area suddenly looks fuller

By 1530 the riding course has been transformed into a twisty running track. It doesn’t suit me all those turns but it is what it is. 1km loop. Three times. 3000m

I’m 40 points behind the Emily or 10 running seconds. We have a handicap start system where the leader goes with the gun. I’m allowed to leave the start gate 10s later, if I catch up the leader, I’m matching her on Pent points. First across the line is Olympic Champion. Game on.

Pre- race stats. Steph is less than 50s behind me. I know that’s not enough to stay in front of her. Emily beat me by 10s at the World Champs 2 months earlier. But I’m running better than then. Are they? Can Steph catch Emily?

Emily leaves the start gate, 10 slow seconds later I leave.

I aim to catch Emily by the end of the first lap

1km later all is going to plan

We run together through the second lap. The twists are favouring her. I’m just about staying with her .. it’s hard.

Towards the end of the second lap I’m working so hard. There’s still a km to go. It hurts and I know I’m going to fast for this stage in the race.

At the end of the second lap, Emily is pulling away from me. I try so hard. It’s hurting so much. This is not going to plan.

Steph is silently closing on the pair of us like a human whippet

Final lap. Dig deep. 500m to go, Steph comes up behind me, Emily is gone.

A lifetime of training and I know I’m not going to be Olympic Champion

Steph comes flying past “run Steph run... run for God Save the Queen, not Star Spangled Banner RUN”

This was over many strides in my head, each word with a hurting breath

Last 200m Steph has taken the lead. Emily is chasing hard, not letting go. I check over my shoulder, Mary Beth from USA is behind me, but I’m safe.

I’m in Bronze.

I’m running towards the line

<<don’t fall over, don’t do anything stupid and the bronze is yours>>

20 years ago, when I was 6, I watched Seb Coe win the 1500 in Moscow 1980. I loved how he raced, how he finished, the excitement, the thrill of not knowing if his final sprint was going to be enough.

That 6yo though I want to do that!

People have asked me “What does it feel like to win a medal at the Olympics”

I can only describe it in one way

It wasn’t me who crossed the finish line, it was that 6yo girl

20 years on

Living out her dream of winning a medal at the Olympics

I fall to the floor

Steph and I are in arms

Emily has found Mary Beth

The noise is indescribable

None of us have words

Plenty of people want words

There are none

We reach the mix zone and have a microphone put in front of us. We talk gibberish.

Steph walks off mid interview.

We discover later that was a live interview with the BBC

Athlete services say we have to get ready for the medal ceremony.

Steph goes to comply.

I call NO

We ARE going on a lap of honour - Steph agrees this is a great idea

(This is unscripted apparently)

Athlete services beginning to lose their rag

We run off.

We see and are so grateful to the masses of GB friends who have been with us all day. Being noisy.

We see family. We hug. We cry. We hug more.

We need a union flag

We persuade a fan to give us his flag. I promise we will send it back afterwards

I spot his address is sharpied on the flag edge

I promise again

He gives us the flag
(We do send it back later)

We finish our lap of honour. Aussies across the stadium have folded their Aussie flags to just show the union flags in the corner. It’s such a touching act.

There’s no politics in this act, just respect. We know, they know.

(Athlete services are really losing the plot now)

We head in to gather for the medal ceremony.

We see our coaches Jan, Frici and Isty properly for the first time.

There’s more tears.

I sit quietly with Mary Beth. She’s sad. 4th is amazing & hard.

We met in a field in Lexington, Kentucky in 1992. We were young Pony Club tetrathletes.

MB.. what a heck of a journey. Would would imagine we would be here & that had just happened? I know she said.. amazing.

Steph leaps onto the podium and everyone erupts again, same for Emily. My turn. Don’t slip.

After the medal ceremony we head on a whirlwind of presser and doping control

Hurry up and pee the Closing Ceremony starts soon!

We arrive in the Sky Dome where all the athletes are being held before they all parade in the Closing Ceremony. There’s a festival atmosphere. Steph and I have won the last 2 Team GB medals of the Games. We get a standing ovation from the Team as we walk in

And the rest is history

20 years ago.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this, my memories... thanks for coming along on the ride with me. It feels like another lifetime ago but like yesterday.

A very special world, covered in glitter.

Thank you to everyone who was a part of it.

Carpe Diem

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