For spectators watching from the comfort of their homes, the Olympic Games is a celebration of triumph and national pride – a fleeting spectacle before life resumes its usual rhythm. Yet for the athletes who dedicate their lives to competing on this stage (and achieving it), the reality is far more complex. Beneath the glory lies a harsher truth, one that Italian gold medallist Thomas Ceccon has experienced firsthand.
Dr Karen Howells coined the term ‘post-Olympic blues’ and while the phenomenon hasn’t been widely studied, she told the New York Times she had, “not yet met an Olympian who hasn’t experienced” it. I was fortunate enough to speak with swimmer Thomas Ceccon this week, and while he didn’t use the phrase post-Olympic blues specifically, he’s spoken openly about his own comedown and his decision to mix things up with a trip to Australia.
“The Paris Olympics was a great experience. I won, so that was my dream. It was my objective, it was my everything.”
After winning a bronze and silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics (in the 4×100 m medley relay and 4×100m freestyle replay respectively) Ceccon claimed two more medals in Paris, including an individual gold medal in the 100m backstroke.
“We got second and third in Tokyo which was still amazing because we were swimming for Italy, but to race in an individual event is more prestigious for me. The relay still counts for a lot, but my dream was to win the Olympics in an individual event,” he told me.
Ceccon had achieved something he’d been dreaming about since childhood but the stress and exhaustion from racing, and the challenging conditions inside the Olympic village, left him depleted.
He told me the conditions were “very bad,” the food was poor, and the widely reported lack of air conditioning meant Ceccon resorted to sleeping outside his room to beat the heat. From an Aussie perspective, the Australian Olympic Committee needed to spend $100,000 on portable air conditioning units for athlete’s rooms.
What was Ceccon’s move to overcome his fatigue post-Paris? Move to Australia, of course.
Unsurprisingly, he’s been loving it, swimming at the St Peters Western High-Performance Squad under coach Dean Boxall. As some may remember, Boxall rose to international fame thanks to his celebration when Aussie Ariarne Titmus won the 400m freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics.
“I think I’ve found everything [I needed] here,” Thomas Ceccon admitted with a laugh.
“I’m training with a big group, there’s sun, there’s music, there’s a new coach, new training. The beach is 20 minutes from my home with surf, so there are a lot of things I don’t have in Italy.”
Ceccon has also found the training culture vastly different, offering a fascinating insight into the elite training cultures of different countries. According to him, Australia’s friendly, encouraging reputation shines through.
“I really enjoy how they do things here. In Italy, I train with just two people and I go to the pool, say hello, and get into the water and no one cares much. Here, it’s more like a big family.”
“Half of the Australian Olympic Team trains here, so the big difference is everyone believes in what they’re doing. During the session, people will say, ‘Two more to go guys,’ or ‘Last one, let’s go,’ and that’s something I never saw in Italy. In Australia, I want to see the guys [I’m training with] swimming fast and they want to see me swim fast too, so it’s very different compared to Italy.”
The atmosphere of St Peters Western looks to have re-energised Ceccon mentally, as well as physically.
“I’m super happy, I love training now, I feel very good mentally, and I’ll have a couple of races next week, so I can see if I’m going fast.”
His favourite thing about Australia? “I love to go surfing,” Ceccon said with a grin.
“It’s incredible. I mean, we’re probably surfing too much at the moment.”
And least favourite? “Nothing. It’s very hard to find something I don’t like here.”
As a successful Olympic athlete, Ceccon also enjoys the benefits of being an Omega ambassador, telling me his dream watch is an Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional in Moonshine Gold. Perhaps the only downside to moving to Australia for a few months is that he left his own Speedmaster at home, electing to only bring his favourite watch – the green dial version of the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M.
While he’s enjoyed his time in Australia and the post-Olympic blues are behind him, Ceccon’s move isn’t a permanent one. He plans to compete at a few competitions in Brisbane, before returning to Europe to finalise preparations for July’s World Championships in Singapore.
With the time he’s got left, Thomas Ceccon is working harder than ever before in the pool and shared one of his favourite sessions to do in training.
“A session I love to do – even though it’s very hard – is six 50m sprints on two minutes, swimming at my race speed for the second half of my 100m race. Then, we do that three times with maybe six minutes rest in between sets, making it 18 50m sprints [in total]. [Swimming backstroke] I usually do 26.5 or 26.7 seconds [for each one].”
If you rate yourself as having a bit of pace in the pool, try swimming a single 50m length at Ceccon’s speed. If you’re brave, try 18 of them.
