Back to reality for medal winners

For two weeks last August, we were consumed by a gaggle of lycra-clad athletes trying to go faster, higher, stronger than anyone else. It's a curious phenomenon because, outside of the Olympics, we struggle to recognise some of our best sportspeople, let alone care. We certainly don't take much interest in pikes, pursuits and penalty corners. But pride, and sometimes despair, takes hold.

It's a case of nationalistic importance, of feeling good about coming from a country of four million people at the bottom of the world. For the athletes themselves, winning a medal is the culmination of a lifetime's planning and training. The adulation that comes their way is sometimes suffocating. But what happens when the lights go out, when the phone stops ringing, invitations to show off your medal at schools dry up and a life of relative normality beckons?

For many, there is a void. For others, it's a relief. And for some, it's just the start of the journey.

Four months before the start of the Olympics, Tom Ashley moved to Valencia in Spain and changed his mobile phone number and email address. Few could get hold of him and it was just the way he wanted it. Ashley, who went on to win gold in the RS:X windsurfing in the tricky conditions off Qingdao, is a meticulous planner and didn't want others railroading his campaign. It was eight years in the making and few could argue with his methods, given the result.

These days, he's a lot easier to get hold of. He's just another first-year law student at Auckland University and answers his phone – when not in lectures. Immediately after Beijing, there were a number of invitations to school assemblies, functions and awards dinners. "It's not really my scene," Ashley says, "but I survived it. It's part of the deal. It's a small price to pay for a pretty awesome lifestyle. You can't really complain. If you think about it, the New Zealand public pretty much funded my campaign, so there is a responsibility to people.

"[The phone stopped ringing] pretty quickly, really. Our last official dinner was in December and we celebrated after that. It was all fine. Being in New Zealand, people are really respectful so it's not crazy. I'm a windsurfer. I'm not a rugby player or rower."

Nathan Twaddle is. The former world champion and 2005 Halberg Award winner in the teams category won bronze with George Bridgewater in the coxless pair. While he wasn't in such high demand as the Evers-Swindell twins or fellow bronze medallist Mahe Drysdale, he became such a regular at schools, it was almost like he was a primary pupil again.

"My poor, old medal has taken an absolute hammering," he says. "It looks pretty worn out now. It's probably been through 1500-2000 schoolkids' hands. I felt the medal was a symbol of what's possible. World championship medals don't really inspire the kids but with an Olympic medal, their jaws hit the floor. If you get one or two kids who say, 'I really want to do that', then you know it's worthwhile. The school visits have been pretty steady the whole way through but the speaking engagements have dried up."

Caroline Evers-Swindell admits she was more prepared for the aftermath of a successful Olympic campaign than she was after Athens. She was able to enjoy her achievement more. "After Athens, I remember it being really full-on and feeling really overwhelmed but we had never experienced it before and we probably didn't handle it as we could have," she says. "We also had to fit it in with training because we got straight back into the boat. This time, it's been very relaxed and we have been managed very well. The last year has been amazing. It's just flown by."

Retirement can have that effect on people. She is undertaking a floristry course and working part-time in a Cambridge florist. She was also able to have the first summer holiday for close to 15 years. "We just love the freedom of doing what we want, when we want," she says. "It's not that we didn't love rowing. We just gave it everything. It's just nice to have something different and to be able to wander down to work in the morning. I'm loving it, absolutely loving it."

There's a phenomenon called post-Olympic stress disorder. It's what happens when an athlete suddenly finds there's a massive void after committing their life to the achievement of one goal. It can happen to athletes who finished near the tail of the field, ones who narrowly miss out on stepping on to the podium and even to gold medallists.

Harold Abrahams, who won gold in the 100m at the 1924 Paris Olympics and was a principal character in the movie Chariots of Fire, despaired afterwards. When a friend asked him why, he replied: "Maybe you should try winning some time." British cyclist Bradley Wiggins, who won gold in Athens, fell into a year-long spiral of alcohol and depression, while Australian diver Chantelle Newbery, who also won gold in 2004, was admitted to hospital with depression.

"In some ways [I had a void in my life]," Twaddle admits. "I tried to do all the things I could to make sure it didn't happen. I was aware it's a pretty common phenomenon when you exist in this microcosm of high performance and it becomes normal to socialise and train with the people in the team. To jump back into normality takes some adjustment.

"There's a lot of uncertainty because for years, you know what your goal is and all of a sudden you don't have that goal any more. When you're trying to figure out what it is, it can be pretty scary. Uncertainty is a real bugger."

Twaddle met with a career counsellor, took some time off to finish his post-graduate diploma in finance from Waikato University and threw himself into his role as a mentor for people with disabilities to experience rowing. He worked as part of Sky television's rowing commentary team and cemented some relationships with businesses and sponsors to broaden his chances of employment when he needs to join the 'real world'. He also needed to sit down and work out whether he wanted to get back in a skiff again.

With Bridgewater heading to Oxford to study for an MBA, and Eric Murray and Hamish Bond jumping into the coxless pair and finding immediate success, Twaddle's future was uncertain. He turns 33 next month but still found, after six months off the water, that he had the drive to try to make the London Olympics. In what boat, even he's not sure, but he got back into serious training six weeks ago to ensure he is "up to speed" when the New Zealand team return from their European campaign and back to Lake Karapiro at the end of October.

Ashley also plans to be in London in 2012. He has rigged up his windsurfer 10 to 15 times in the past 12 months – "just so I don't forget" – but will get back on the water seriously when university holidays roll around in November. Instead he's been cycling up to 700km a week to keep fit. He says it's vital he maintains his aerobic fitness and it doesn't look like he's added an ounce of fat to his stringy, 70kg frame.

"Life didn't change that much after the Olympics," Ashley says. "Apart from less training. Most of what I experienced was relief. I have never been one for massive celebrations. I never expected that winning was going to change my life at all in a real sense.

"There was a bit of a low period afterwards. It wasn't a case of waking up sad, it was more waking up and not having that focus, not having much to do. It's pretty healthy, I think. It's good to have some down time and I spent a few months being a bit aimless. I also spent a few months working out what I was going to do. "I'm not sure if I will do uni next year. If I do, it will be part-time. I really love it and would like to carry on but the campaign is No 1 and I don't want to compromise that."

That probably also means changing his mobile phone number and email address again.

Life after the last Olympics

Gold

Tom Ashley (men's RS:X windsurfing – sailing)

Ashley has barely jumped on his windsurfer since Beijing but plans to get back into training in November. In the meantime, he's cycled up to 700km to keep fit, is studying the first year law, got married in Rio de Janeiro in January and worked for Yachting New Zealand and Sparc.

Georgina + Caroline Evers-Swindell (women's double sculls – rowing)

The Evers-Swindell twins retired from rowing soon after returning from Beijing. Georgina married Sam Earl, son of 1972 rowing eight gold medallist Athol Earl, in January and has relocated to North Canterbury, where she is working as a teacher aide. She intends starting teacher training next year. Caroline has participated in some multisport events, enrolled in a florist's course and has also been recruited as a tour guide for two cycle tours through Provence in France in September and October.

Silver

Hayden Roulston (men's individual pursuit – cycling)

Roulston has returned to the road and last month completed the Tour de France, where he finished third in one stage and helped Norwegian team-mate Thor Hushovd to claim the sprinters' green jersey. To round off a hectic month, the 28-year-old's partner Ange gave birth to the couple's first child, Moses. Roulston plans to return to the track at the London Olympics.

Bronze

Sam Bewley, Westley Gough, Hayden Roulston, Marc Ryan + Jesse Sergeant (team pursuit – cycling)

Bewley and Sergeant have joined Lance Armstrong's Trek-Livestrong under-23 professional road cycling team. Gough, Ryan, Sergeant and Peter Latham claimed bronze in the team pursuit at March's world championships and there are high hopes for the young team in London. Sergeant was one of the favourites in the individual pursuit at the world championships but inexperience cost him with the 21-year-old finishing fifth.

Bevan Docherty (men's triathlon)

Docherty has committed to competing in London, where he hopes to complete the full Olympic set and add gold to his silver (Athens) and bronze (Beijing). He's dramatically changed his training regime, focussing on finding more speed on the run, given the fact London is likely to be decided in a foot race. His 2009 results have been mixed as he's struggled with illness.

Mahe Drysdale (men's single sculls – rowing)

Drysdale, the man who stopped a nation with his epic bronze medal while feeling unwell, is undefeated this season. He is getting ready to defend his world title in Poland from August 23, although he will be under pressure from the likes of Olaf Tufte (Norway) and Alan Campbell (Britain).

George Bridgewater + Nathan Twaddle (men's coxless pair – rowing)

Bridgewater has spent the year juggling the demands of an MBA at Oxford University and helping the heaviest Oxford crew in history win the annual Boat Race with Cambridge. He's likely to return to New Zealand in time for a tilt at the London Olympics. Twaddle has taken time off rowing after wrist surgery but has decided to try his luck at a third Olympics, although he's unsure about what boat it might be in. Twaddle has finished a post-graduate diploma from Waikato University, worked as a Sky TV rowing commentator, helped people with disabilities try rowing, and showed his medal to thousands of school children.

Nick Willis (men's 1500m – athletics)

Willis, who is likely to be elevated to silver because of the positive drugs test of Bahrain's gold medallist Rashid Ramzi, will try to emulate his hero Peter Snell and win the 800m-1500m double at next year's Delhi Commonwealth Games. He has recently returned to training after hip surgery.