The athletics realm is booming with success stories. Not just the Olympics and the World Championships, but the other track and field events are also not insignificant from any angle. Before the Paris stage offers an opportunity to craft more tales, the qualifiers are helping us make coherent decisions about whom to cheer for. Some athletes are newbies, while some are well-seasoned. But discussions about the Olympics are taking us back to a phenomenon we beheld in the 2000s.

2004, an annus mirabilis for a former track phenom isn’t present in her memory vividly. Completely off track and living a life as a mother of two, the 49-year-old retired Olympian shares a note of gratitude to the sport that gave her moments to cherish.

Track and field star lays siege to a career that served her well

The iconic Athletics Weekly invited Joanne Fenn over to a tête-à-tête, where her voice cracked with the emotion of a two-decade-old memory. The X post of AW reads, “I feel really lucky to have had a chapter as a pro athlete, even if it was short.” A series of injuries wrecked the career, which could reach great heights. Being a 300m hurdles champion ignited hope in her heart to take up 400-metre hurdles and heptathlon.

Later, she tasted peak success in the 2002 Commonwealth Games when she clocked in at 1:59.86 in her first sub-2-minute. At the 2004 Budapest World Championships, Fenn clinched the bronze medal. To add more to her purse, she also broke the 1000m British record that year. But she missed out on her track and field Olympic opportunities despite qualifying for the semi-finals.

In 2006, a serious knee injury put a stop to her growing career, but her will to inspire others didn’t die. She now works closely with the Be the Best you can Be programme to engage with the young crowd. But 20 years after her biggest milestone achievement, she reminisces about a special one.

Fenn walks down memory lane

Living 11,000 miles away in New Zealand, Jo Fenn’s emotions brimmed as she spoke over a video call. “It wasn’t gold, but it was the medal I’d spent so long dreaming about. “I was just so proud to do it for everyone, especially for Ayo [Falola, her coach at the time], who had worked so hard with me”. Falola’s untimely death has left her heartbroken.

“He was such an amazing friend. We celebrated and went out that night for dinner. Ayo told me to have a glass of wine but I said I had to focus on the Olympics,” said Fenn. “2004 was by far my biggest year. Then not much happened after that”, she conceded. Now a special speaker for 21st Century Legacy, Fenn enlightens the common crowd with the lessons she has had.

READ MORE: Running Two Decades Without a Single Medal, 38-Year-Old Track Star Turns Tables at World Indoor Championships