If Holly Bradshaw has learned one thing in her career, it's that short-term pain is often necessary for long-term gain.
Having announced herself to the pole vault world aged 20 before bookending an Olympic final at London 2012 and going on to win World Indoor bronze and European Indoor gold, injuries were the last thing she could have imagined she needed.
Yet after overcoming four surgeries in as many years to finish 2018 sixth in the world rankings, adding World Cup gold and European outdoor bronze to her medal collection along the way, her perspective has changed.
Without the agony of her various back, knee and Achilles problems between 2014 and 2017, the now 27-year-old is convinced she could not have enjoyed the season she had last year.
“My injuries have definitely helped me become the athlete I am now,” she said.
“The lows I’ve had have made me stronger as a person away from the track. They’ve given me so much more knowledge about my body.
“I’m passionate about how much I’ve changed and it’s all because of the lows I’ve experienced. They were crucial in propelling me to compete at a higher level.
“People look at the 4.87m I jumped back in 2012 [her personal best] and they think I’m not as good an athlete because I haven’t jumped as high since then.
“But if you look at last year as a whole my performances are so much more consistent and I’m a much better athlete.”
Having shaken off her physical gremlins, Bradshaw’s attention has already turned to next summer in Tokyo - where she aspires to improve on fifth place in Rio by winning a first Olympic medal.
To make that dream more achievable she has decided to compete with a shortened run-up throughout this year’s indoor season, enabling her to focus on fine-tuning her technique for 2020.
And she is confident her strategy will bear fruit and the reason is simple: she has already reaped long-term gain from short-term pain once in her career, so she knows it works.
“I’m capable of winning an Olympic medal, but to do that I need to go through this six-month period where I’m developing my speed and strength,” she added.
“What I’m doing now is for the long term rather than the short term, which for an athlete is really difficult. It’s just a matter of being sensible and looking at the bigger picture.
“Pretty much every decision I make in training is geared towards Tokyo now.
“I’ll often think to myself: ‘That muscle didn’t feel good today, tomorrow I might not push it too hard and risk something happening because Tokyo is 18 months away’. That’s the thought process.
“I want more than anything to win an Olympic medal because I don’t know whether I’ve got another Olympic cycle in me.
“The next Games is currently five years away so I want to make the most of this one.”
Bradshaw’s attention to detail has grown immeasurably since her breakout year and nowhere is that better illustrated than in her competition diet.
In January she amused social media with a picture of herself at the 2013 European Indoor Championships in Gothenburg, which showed her snacking on a bag of sweets midway through her pole vault final.
It may have worked for her on that occasion, powering her to a clearance of 4.67m and subsequently the title, but she was quick to assure followers her eating habits have since changed.
“It made me laugh because I’ve changed so much as a person in that length of time,” she said.
“Nutrition is a big thing for me now because I’m not one of those athletes who can just eat anything and get away with it.
“Pick ‘n’ Mix is definitely not how I fuel my body anymore!”
Confectionery is unlikely to appear on Holly’s menu while she competes in Tokyo, but that’s a sacrifice she will be happy to make. Short-term pain, long-term gain.
Sportsbeat 2019