It can become an athlete’s life pursuit to don the green and gold colours of Australia and embark on a career-defining journey to the Olympics. It’s no secret that the training, determination and discipline required to qualify for the games is gruelling and challenging. Men and women dedicate years, days and countless hours to their sport, honing their bodies with a singular focus of being the best they can be to win the coveted gold medal.
2020 was meant to be the year of the Tokyo Olympics but with COVID-19 taking the reins, the games have now been postponed to 2021. For some, that means another rare year of training but for others, it may have been the last chance to take on the games before retirement or other life commitments.
Being no stranger to overcoming mental and physical hurdles, athlete Lachlan Hollis has felt the effects of COVID-19 in his own athletic career. Playing on the Australian Water polo team, the Aussie Sharks, Hollis has the Olympic dream in sight and throughout his life, has displayed great resilience in the face of hardship.
Not only did he miss out on the London Olympics in 2012 due to a broken foot but in the lead up to the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Hollis was once again blindsided. While playing professionally for a Water Polo team in Italy in 2013, Hollis experienced incessant back pain and fatigue. Being 23 at the time, he was diagnosed with a rare germ cell testicular cancer that put his life and the Olympic dream on hold for almost two years.
“I wasn’t able to train or function and it affected my life in a very devastating way. I was an adolescent whose life was taken away at a young age, however, I remained positive and fought every single day.” He told Insider. During his 12 months in rehabilitation, Hollis had to re-learn fundamental functions like walking and sitting up. Now, being in remission for many years he has since risen to the top of his athletic career in Water polo and has the 2021 Tokyo Olympics in sight. Despite COVID-19 being another roadblock to the Olympics, Hollis remains determined and dedicated to his dreams.
Before his career began, Hollis swam competitively as a child before transitioning over to Water polo after his brother’s team was one player short. He never looked back after proving himself as a great addition. 18 years on, he now plays for the UNSW Magpies with many achievements under his belt.
In 2017 he won the prestigious NSWIS Ian Thorpe OAM Outstanding Achievement Award which recognises athletes that have overcome adversity. He is a 2017 FINA World League Intercontinental Cup gold medallist, a 2018 BENU Cup silver medallist, a 2018 FINA World Cup silver medallist and a 2019 FINA World League Super Final bronze medallist to name a few.
We sat down with Hollis to ask our burning questions about what it takes to be a budding Olympian, his life advice and current endeavours:
How has overcoming your illness changed in your career/life?
Overcoming cancer has changed my life for the better! I now appreciate life a lot more, maximise every opportunity and don’t take every day for granted. I’ve learnt so much about my mind and body during that time and I now teach others what I learnt and educate those around me via the hardship I had to endure.
What would it mean for you to be selected to represent Australia at the Olympics?
Playing for my country at the highest level would be the ultimate goal. I always said as a little kid that I want to one day be an Olympian. I think each professional athlete strives to compete at the Olympics and it would be the icing on the cake if I was to be selected on the Aussie team.
What is your training regime like and how has it challenged you mentally/physically?
My training regime is very intense. I train seven days a week, on average three hours each day. This ranges from pool sessions, gym sessions, training camps and Water polo games. It feels like we train all the time and rarely play games, so when we do play it’s such a treat and nice feeling to do what we ultimately signed up for.
You need to be mentally tough to endure all the reps and hours that we devote to our training. The focus, discipline and grit has transferred into my personal life and has helped me build a successful fitness business. I now use those key attributes each and everyday when I work for myself as the director of Hollistic Fitness.
What does the Olympic selection process involve?
A selection panel picks the best Water polo players in the country and filters a large squad down to the best 13 players who end up representing Australia. This selection process happens over 4 years (now 5 years thanks to COVID). Each year the selection process intensifies and gradually an official Olympic team is selected 1-2 months prior to the Olympics.
How has COVID-19 and the rescheduling of the Olympics affected your career? What happens now?
We were all planning on being in Tokyo Mid July 2020, our lives and schedules were planned down to the day. Our squad has had several ZOOM meetings after the announcement was made to postpone the official start date. These meetings were led by our head coach, Elvis Fatovic, who has been doing a great job at keeping us updated with our new schedule and training plan. We have shifted our timeline and amended our plans accordingly which means we are back on track and in line with the new Olympic date.
What is your main piece of advice for people struggling to overcome life’s obstacles especially during this COVID-19 time?
Just know that the best is yet to come. Tough times don’t last forever. Tomorrow is a new day and even though you may not be feeling great right now, tomorrow will present new opportunities and hope. We all go through funks at some point in our life. Reach out, ask for help and speak about it. No one needs to suffer in silence, your family or best mate won’t judge you if you tell them you are struggling and need help. It may be the best thing you have ever done. Be vulnerable and open up.
When you aren’t playing or training, what do you do?
When I’m not playing or training, I’m helping others achieve their goals. I launched my own fitness business in 2016 called Hollistic Fitness which allows me to bring my passion to others and as previously mentioned, share my life lessons which I have learnt from my hard but interesting journey.
What goals do you still want to achieve in your career and life?
I want to have a big, healthy, happy family and help my kids grow into successful leaders. I would like to also grow my business as I know how much of a positive impact it has had and still has on so many people. My short-term goal is the Olympics, but it won’t be the end for me if, for whatever reason, it doesn’t come true.