Lauren Burns |
| |
| D.O.B: |
8 June 1974 |
| Resides at: |
Melbourne, Australia |
| Sport: |
Taekwondo |
| Breakfast: |
Either biodynamic porridge with sultanas, nuts and pure maple syrup, buckwheat pancakes, fruit toast, fresh fruit or my favourite left over dinner. |
| Colour: |
Blue clothes; black. |
| Favourite food: |
Pasta with pesto, roast tomatoes, pine nuts and fresh parmesan. |
| Pets: |
One black Labrador/Rottweiler - Zoe |
| What/who inspires you: |
Anyone who follows their excitement, personal values and is passionate about what they are doing. |
| |
FAQ |
| Do you think basics are important in sport? |
|
I think they are the most valuable tool. I used to practice basic kicks every single day. It is better to be able to do the basics with excellence than do a lot of techniques competently. |
| |
| What kept you going when you were faced? |
|
Self-belief and the passion I had for the sport. When I was out with a serious injury I would ask myself if I wanted to go on. If the answer was yes, then I gave it my full commitment. The answer was always yes. |
| |
| What sort of training did you do before the Olympics? |
|
Preparation for the Olympics was gruelling. I got up in the morning and went to the gym or the pool, then two hours of walking, training for 2hrs, then a 20min walk to the Sports and Aquatic Centre for a recovery session. Back home and to bed to get ready for the next day. It was completely all encompassing. I watched endless hours of videos of my opponents to work at strategies and tactics and gain inspiration.
The words of my sports psychologist kept coming back to me - 'Just remember, you are doing an ordinary thing on an extraordinary day, or in extraordinary circumstances'. So often, at the Olympics in particular, people put a lot of pressure on themselves and don't do what they trained to do. They change their game at the last minute, which can be fatal. People can either choke or shine and it can bring out the best in them. That is what happened with me. Even though I was a medal chance I was a complete outsider for the gold medal. But, since the Games, I've had the opportunity to look back over my career. I have been in competition since 1993, always striving to be better, faster, more powerful and sometimes you don't realise how much you've done, what your doing or the journey along the way. |
| |
| When did you start taekwondo? |
|
I started when I was 14yo and it was my brother who introduced me to the sport. He was 7yo at the time and fancied himself as a teenage mutant ninja turtle as most kids did in the mid eighties. Not long after Mike joined the local taekwondo club, my dad, Ronnie joined. They both encouraged me to get involved but it wasn t until I went in my first competition that I developed a passion for the competitive side of taekwondo. |
| |
back to top
|