A former U.S. Olympian with local ties is having his shot at Olympic dreams put on hold. New Berlin native Lance Brooks who is a national champion discuss thrower who competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics. Brooks, who now lives, trains, and works in Colorado, said that he will now have a little bit more time to get ready but he is sad for his fellow Olympic hopefuls. “It works out great for me. I haven’t really been throwing a whole lot, training-wise. If they postpone it a year, that puts me back on track to get back into the groove. It is brutal for all of those who have been training and looking forward to the Olympics this year. Setbacks like this, training-wise, can definitely ruin everything that you’ve been working towards. Your timing, your preparation, your routine all goes out the window. Now, for the people that have to add another year to training, that can brutal on the body.”
Originally scheduled to take place in Tokyo, Japan between July 24th through August 9th this summer, the Games have been rescheduled for July 23rd through August 8th, 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Brooks said that he had recently moved and was working a new construction job and hadn’t been focused on training for the Olympic Trials. He said the extended period works in his favor as it will allow him to ramp up training and finish building an at-home training facility he was going to install in a barn on his property.
Brooks says training for his 3rd Olympic trial has given him some insight on how determination and the human body work together. “I’m older. I’m 36 now. I know what I have to do and I know what my body can take. That first couple of years [of training] was trial and error. Now that I’m older, I know what I can and can’t do and I know what I should and shouldn’t do. It definitely goes a long way.”
Brooks says that being a husband and father with a career outside of the athletic world has changed his perspective on athletic accomplishment at this point in his life but he still enjoys the thrill of competition. Brooks has passed on some of his throwing technique and expertise to high school students in recent years. Brooks and other track & field athletes will have their shot at returning to the Olympics at the trials held at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon on a date to be determined next year.