Meet Malta’s Olympic Prospect: Athlete Of The Year Janet Richard Is Racing Till The End For A Chance At Tokyo
With the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics set to kick off in just over a month, hundreds of athletes are currently sitting on the edge of a qualifying bubble hoping that they will get a chance to represent their country in the contingent heading up to one of the most prestigious sports events in the world.
Malta has already selected two athletes for the Summer Olympics, but many more are training, competing and sacrificing all they have for a shot to qualify before it’s too late.
One such athlete is Janet Richard who was recently named Malta’s athlete of the year after breaking an almost 20-year-old national record in the 400-metres last year.
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Janet has dominated the local athletics scene, but does she have what it takes to run with the elite on the biggest sporting stage of all?
“I’m hoping to get the opportunity to run the 400-meter dash in Tokyo,” she told Lovin Malta.
The 400-metre is arguably the toughest and most competitive spring event at the Olympics and consists of one lap around an outdoor track. It being neither a sprint nor a paced jog demands the most out of athletes.
For Janet, the 400-metre is her forte, having recently claimed the national record after almost 20 years with a time of 54.06 seconds.
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The current women’s world record is held by Marita Koch, with a time of 47.60 seconds
“I’ve just concluded a three-week training camp in Potenza, Italy thanks to Athletics Malta, the Olympic Committee and SportMalta,” Janet continued. “The opportunity to represent Malta at the Olympics would be a dream come true but I wouldn’t say that my training is preparing specifically for the Olympics,” she said.
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“The end goal is definitely to put me in content to make the team going to Tokyo so I am focusing on being in good shape and producing good performances at the several international competitions I have lined up this month,” she continued.
Janet currently forms part of a Maltese contingent competing in San Marino at the Championships of the Small States of Europe.
The 22-year-old will have to give it her all in order to stand a chance to qualify for the Olympics, which is set to begin on 23rd July.
“My volume of training has decreased and I am focusing more on speed and intensity which consists of fewer runs but at almost a race pace,” she said.
“This is my favourite part of the season since it’s more speed-orientated and I take time to address different weaknesses.”
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A form of weakness all local athletes had to endure was the disruption of training caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, during which health authorities banned organised sports for several months.
In fact, Japanese authorities have disallowed international fans to be present at the Games out of an abundance of caution to limit the spread of the virus.
“The pandemic definitely affected my training since we went into a second quasi-lockdown and the tracks and gyms were closed, forcing us to train on the road again,” Janet continued.
“I felt like I was more prepared this time around but it still affected me mentally due to the sudden change in routine.”
Like all elite athletes, Janet is accustomed to habit and routine and has overcome numerous adversities along her journey – from injuries to racist remarks that she was adopted.
You can learn more about her journey, and what it takes to be a national champion, by watching Lovin Malta’s exclusive interview with Janet herself.
While the Olympics might be a long shot for Janet at this stage, it isn’t stopping the athlete from dreaming big.
“I would most look forward to getting in the blocks and giving the best performance of my life to proudly represent my country on the biggest stage in sports,” she ended.
Tag an athlete who is hoping to qualify for the Olympics
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