Men's Sevens vice-captain Henry Hutchison is soaking in the benefits of all the hours of hard work he had to put in as he heads to his third Olympics off the back of a serious ACL injury.
Hutchison was left stricken on the ground at the start of 2023 after picking up a concoction of injuries that almost resembled a car crash.
The torn ACL in his left knee was the chief destroyer but Hutchison had also damaged his right, broken multiple ribs and sprained his wrist from an earlier tournament.
It took a complete year turnaround for the 27-year-old, returning at Perth in January before a series of strong performances locked his place in the 12-player squad.
“It’s been a long journey, coming up to about 18 months," he told reporters.
“I’ve timed my run well and worked hard early in the year to come into some better form now
“I’m really happy with my body and I’m really happy where I am physically and mentally.”
Hutchison knows the pain of past Olympics as one of two players to feature at every Olympics for Australia alongside captain Nick Malouf.
Like Malouf, there is a feeling of redemption on his mind after a seventh and eighth-place finish in Rio and Tokyo.
“I think it’s about downplaying it, treating it as any other tournament. Obviously it’s not, but we’re trying to normalise it so it’s not too much to ensure we have a swing and a crack at it," he explained.
"I’ve been in Olympic campaigns where we’ve been disappointed with our results and I felt like we haven’t had a swing at it yet.
“It’s a fiercely competitive spot and competition with a lot of teams out there who will want a medal and it’s the teams that turn out that will grab it.”
