Australian Olympic track cyclist Kaarle McCulloch will use a "go big or go home" tactic as she tries to prove a point to national selectors.
McCulloch revealed she has drawn inspiration from the "know your enemy" preparation that worked so well for her legendary former teammate Anna Meares at the London Olympics.
But less than three months ago, the 33-year-old was unsure whether she was going to the Games.
The retirement of Steph Morton after the Olympics were postponed in 2020 meant Australia would not start in the team sprint, the focus for her and McCulloch.
It also put Australia at risk of not starting in any of the women's sprint events at Tokyo, because qualification was through the teams event.
McCulloch's starts in the match sprint and keirin were secured eventually, but team management also debated whether she should go to the Olympics.
"There was talk of de-selection, which was obviously really quite hard," McCulloch said.
"On the AusCycling side of things, it was 'well, where do we prioritise events?'."
Asked if she was out to prove a point in Tokyo, McCulloch replied "definitely".
She will prioritise the keirin, where she was a silver medallist at the 2019 world championships.
But McCulloch has nursed a back injury since November 2019 and that has forced her to be inventive with her preparation.
One aspect has been honing her race tactics by racing against men in training.
Meares did the same ahead of London, fine-tuning tactics against Alex Bird on the way to famously beating British arch-rival Victoria Pendleton in the sprint final at London.
It meant McCulloch had 11 keirin simulations in six weeks as she worked on a high-race tactic.
"I actually do feel quite prepared," she said.
"We've drawn some inspiration from that strategy that Anna took.
"I'm going big or I'm going home - that's really what Anna had to do in London and it paid off for her."
McCulloch became emotional as she spoke about the last five years, starting when she had to sit in the stands at Rio and watch the track racing.
Four years earlier, she had won bronze in the team sprint with Meares at London.
The retirement of Morton and several injuries, including her back problem, have made Tokyo selection a particularly sweet achievement.
"The disappointment of Rio, that was a really hard (four-year Olympic) cycle. I didn't think it was going to get any harder - here I am," she said.
The track program starts on Monday, with the team sprint medals to be decided.
McCulloch will have her opening keirin heat on Wednesday.
Australian Associated Press
