Olympic gold medalist thought he would never compete again after contracting long COVID
- Big things were expected from Australian athlete after gold in Tokyo
- Had to stop playing sports for a year to recover
- Admits he thought he might never come back as he prepares for Paris
Olympian Matt Wearn is preparing to match his gold medal performance at the Tokyo Olympics in Paris, but there was a period when he thought he might never compete again after contracting long-term COVID .
Wearn won the Tokyo Olympics in the single-person dinghy (laser) category, but his victory was followed by a challenging year.
Wearn, the youngest of three children, grew up in a sailing family in Perth and was introduced to the sport at the age of four.
Despite also playing top-tier AFL, he eventually turned his attention to sailing, representing Australia for over a decade in the ILCA 7 class, formerly known as Laser Standard.
After his Olympic victory, Wearn became seriously ill with lung COVID. He spent most of the following year bedridden, struggling to perform basic tasks and wondering if he had a future in sailing.
“Everyone thought, ‘Now is the time to dominate,’” he said.
However, his health problems threw a spanner in the works.
Australian sailing gold medalist Matthew Wearn is on his way to a comeback after a long COVID period
Wearn pictured with his wife and Belgian sailor Emma Plasschaert
Wearn was aiming for his first world title at the 2022 event in Mexico. Despite finishing second in three previous world titles, he was the favourite.
However, on the first day of the regatta his health problems became apparent.
“We went into the water and it became a safety issue,” he said.
Dizziness and brain fog hampered his performance.
In early 2022, Wearn’s health continued to deteriorate due to gastrointestinal complaints, a non-COVID virus, COVID-19 itself, and an inner ear infection.
This only added to his problems on the water.
Despite these setbacks, Wearn secured Australia a place at the Olympic Games in Paris by winning the 2023 World Sailing Championships in The Hague.
This victory marked his first world title after three silver medals. He dominated the ILCA7 men’s medal race, confirming his position among the best ILCA sailors in history.
Wearn admits he won’t be at 100 percent in Paris but hopes to emulate his heroics in Tokyo
Wearn continued his success by winning a second consecutive title at the 2024 ILCA7 World Championships in Adelaide.
He led every medal race and became the first Australian to win two world titles in a row since Tom Slingsby in 2012.
“It’s amazing to win a World Cup, and to do it twice in a row makes it even more special,” he said.
Wearn is looking forward to Paris and feels fitter and stronger than ever.
‘Now that we’ve done it three times in a row with three different sailors, it’s really special.
“If we can continue that and bring home a fourth, that would be very special.”
Despite still dealing with long-term COVID symptoms, Wearn remains optimistic.
“It’s about realizing that the things I’m going through are nothing compared to what other people are going through,” he said.
Read more: Australian gold medallist Sally Pearson slams sports bosses for ruining her good friend’s Olympic dream >
