Verity Ockenden, a British athlete, recently posted an insightful reflection on her path, underlining how her biggest victory was not making it to the Olympics in 2024. Throughout her career, Ockenden has experienced physical and mental hurdles. She has been transparent about her hardships and the turning points that have defined her drive.

Ockenden opened up about every aspect of her emotional challenges after her near-miss in the 2021 Olympic Trials in an honest Instagram post. This touching disclosure offered a close-up of Verity Ockenden’s road toward mental health, her healing, and her revised perspective on failure and achievement.

Ockenden’s road has been soiled by the intense mental and physical strain of professional sports. She nearly missed the Olympics in Tokyo and went through a serious mental health crisis. “After the 2023 Olympic Trials in which I had the OQT and finished 3rd, I did not intentionally try to end my life, but I was so distraught at the loss of my dream that I was incapable of imagining a positive future for myself,” she stated. Her general health and athletic performance suffered as a result of this crisis, which necessitated a two-year healing period.

Ockenden has succeeded by leveraging her hardships as a source of strength despite these obstacles. “You can’t make an Olympic team if you’re not around to do so, and it’s really bloody difficult to train and perform at your best toward that goal while having unwelcome s**cidal thoughts,” the 32-year-old added. However, experiencing unexpected self-destructive feelings, she thinks, “That is why my greatest triumph this weekend, was failing to make the 2024 Olympic Team”. Her routes towards self-acceptance and wellness awareness are highlighted by this strong message.

Additionally, reflecting on her development, Ockenden gets ready for further competitions. She declared, “I fully intend to try, try, try again for Los Angeles 2028 and for every team there is to be made in between, and I am so, so happy that I am in a place where I can start on that unhindered, immediately,” displaying her rekindled hope. However, reaching here was not an easy route for her.

Verity Ockenden’s thoughts on the current season

Ockenden has had highs and lows during the 2024 season. In Valencia, her first big race of the year, things did not go as expected. “My first 10km of the year in Valencia was probably the most high-profile road race that I’ve ever done and it went horrifically for me,” said Ockenden. A chest condition during this race created a difficult start to the year, but Ockenden has subsequently proved toughness in her training and performances. Considering her chest condition, she underscored, “It was one of those scenarios where I should have made the executive decision that I didn’t make and I should have called it off and said I am not ready to race.”

Ockenden recovered, though, and gave impressive outcomes in the events that followed. In the Podium 5k, she set a personal best time of 32:01, and at the Cheshire 5km, she displayed promising results. Ockenden felt confident in her performance, even though she wasn’t happy with her times on paper. “The feedback that we got was all really positive and the confidence in my strength in how I felt rather than the result on paper was all really good,” she explained. Thus, as Ockenden travels forward, she is still an inspiration and portrays the will to follow your aspirations despite all the challenges.