Australia's Ryan Gregson finished second in the Men's 1500m heat at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Picture: Phil Hillyard
RYAN Gregson can’t fake it. One of his idols is UFC fighter Conor McGregor who he marvels at because the Irishman can ooze confidence no matter the circumstances.
“I can’t bluff confidence, the only way I can get confident is by putting performances on the board, the last year I haven’t missed a step and every race has been good,” Gregson said after qualifying for the 1500m semi-finals.
“It’s the only way I get confident. I’m not someone like Conor McGregor, he can be in bad shape and talk it up, I can’t do that.
“That (heat) is going to give me a lot of confidence.”
Australia's Ryan Gregson, USA's Matt Centrowitz, Kenya's Asbel Kiprop and Djibouti's Ayanleh Souleiman compete in the Men's 1500m heats during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.Source:AFP
Gregson’s European season has been outstanding and for the first time since he broke the national record as a 20-year-old in 2010 he’s got his swagger back.
While he made it through to the semi-finals as one of the fastest qualifiers in London four years ago, this time around he was automatic after running home strongly to finish second in the heat.
“It is the first time I have ever qualified through to the semi automatically, I usually have to have a nervous wait,” Gregson said.
“That was a big step forward qualifying automatically, I get a big energy boost at the end of the race if I don’t show my cards early so it is definitely my way (of running).
“It’s kind of how I have raced all year so I just did what I’ve been doing and I feel great.”
photo galleryRio Day 12: Aussies at the 2016 Olympics
Caroline Buchanan gets some practice in before the BMX seeding run at the Olympic BMX Centre in Deodoro. Picture: Adam Head1 of 26
Australia's Sam Willoughby takes a practice run before the start of the men's BMX cycling seeding phase runs at the X-Park BMX venue in Deodoro during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on August 17, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / CARL DE SOUZA2 of 26
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 17: Brooke Stratton of Australia competes in the Women's Long Jump final on Day 12 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 17, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)3 of 26
Australia's Brooke Stratton in the Women's Long Jump Final during the Athletics on Day 12 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Picture: Phil Hillyard4 of 26
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 17: Brooke Stratton of Australia competes in the Women's Long Jump Final on Day 12 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 17, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)5 of 26
Rio Olympics 2016. The Women's Preliminary 10m Platform Diving at Maria Lenk Aquatic Centre, Olymic Park Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Australia's Melissa Wu. Picture: Alex Coppel6 of 26
Rio Olympics 2016. The Women's Preliminary 10m Platform Diving at Maria Lenk Aquatic Centre, Olymic Park Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Australia's Melissa Wu. Picture: Alex Coppel7 of 26
Australia's Brittany O'Brien competes in the Women's 10m Platform Preliminary at the diving event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 17, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Martin BUREAU8 of 26
Rio Olympics 2016. The Women's Preliminary 10m Platform Diving at Maria Lenk Aquatic Centre, Olymic Park Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Malaysia's Dhabitah Nur Sabri after her dive. Picture: Alex Coppel9 of 26
Rio Olympics 2016. The Men's Australian Basketball team, the Boomers, v. Lithuania at Carioca 1, in Olymic Park Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Australia's Matthew Dellavedova. Picture: Alex Coppel10 of 26
Rio Olympics 2016. The Men's Australian Basketball team, the Boomers, v. Lithuania at Carioca 1, in Olymic Park Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Australia's Liz Cambage in the crowd. Picture: Alex Coppel11 of 26
An overview shows Australia's forward Aron Baynes scoring during a Men's quarterfinal basketball match between Australia and Lithuania at the Carioca Arena 1 in Rio de Janeiro on August 17, 2016 during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. / AFP PHOTO / Andrej ISAKOVIC12 of 26
Australia's forward Aron Baynes hangs onto the rim after scoring during a Men's quarterfinal basketball match between Australia and Lithuania at the Carioca Arena 1 in Rio de Janeiro on August 17, 2016 during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. / AFP PHOTO / Andrej ISAKOVIC13 of 26
Australia's guard Patty Mills reacts after defeating Lithuania during a Men's quarterfinal basketball match between Australia and Lithuania at the Carioca Arena 1 in Rio de Janeiro on August 17, 2016 during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. / AFP PHOTO / Mark RALSTON14 of 26
Australia's forward Aron Baynes (R) recats after defeating Lithuania during a Men's quarterfinal basketball match between Australia and Lithuania at the Carioca Arena 1 in Rio de Janeiro on August 17, 2016 during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. / AFP PHOTO / Mark RALSTON15 of 26
Caroline Buchanan after BMX seeding run at the Olympic BMX Centre in Deodoro. Picture: Adam Head16 of 26
Caroline Buchanan gets some practice in before the BMX seeding run at the Olympic BMX Centre in Deodoro. Picture: Adam Head17 of 26
Bodi Turner in action during the BMX seeding run at the Olympic BMX Centre in Deodoro. Picture: Adam Head18 of 26
Sam Willoughby in action during the BMX seeding run at the Olympic BMX Centre in Deodoro. Picture: Adam Head19 of 26
Caroline Buchanan gets under way in the BMX seeding run at the Olympic BMX Centre in Deodoro. Picture: Adam Head20 of 26
Rod Turner, Emma Chilman, Karen Turner, Gail Buchanan, Laurie Buchanan, and Emma Pattinson in the crowd cheering the riders on during the BMX seeding run at the Olympic BMX Centre in Deodoro. Picture: Adam Head21 of 26
Australia's Brett Robinson and Patrick Tiernan in the Men's 5000m Round 1during the Athletics on Day 12 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Picture: Phil Hillyard22 of 26
Australia's Patrick Tiernan in the Men's 5000m Round 1 during the Athletics on Day 12 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Picture: Phil Hillyard23 of 26
Thailand's Tawin Hanprab (R) competes against Australia's Safwan Khalil during their men's taekwondo quarter-final bout in the -68kg category as part of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, on August 18, 2016, at the Carioca Arena 3, in Rio de Janeiro. / AFP PHOTO / Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV24 of 26
Australia's Cedric Dubler in the Men's Decathlon 400m heat during day 12 of the athletics at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Picture: Brett Costello25 of 26
Australia's Cedric Dubler in the Men's Decathlon 400m heat during day 12 of the athletics at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Picture: Brett Costello26 of 26
According to his coach, Nic Bideau, the arrival of Luke Mathews into the Melbourne Track Club training group has been a blessing for Gregson.
While Mathews struggled in Rio after tiring following a long season, he is a star of the future and his presence has helped his older teammate.
Luke Mathews of Australia after competing in the heats of the 800m at the Rio Games.Source:Getty Images
“I remember sitting in a cafe with Collis (Birmingham) last year saying, ‘What is it with this guy?’,” Bideau said. “He can’t really get it together, he was so good when he was younger.
“The main thing which we agreed on was he just finds it hard to relax.
“So what I did I started to get Luke Mathews to ride a bike over to his house and run with him and make Gregson responsible for Luke Mathews.
“That just helped him relax, Luke has got a lot of energy, he’s a bouncy little fella, cheeky and with him around Gregson had to concentrate on helping him, explaining things to him.”
While Gregson didn’t make it out of the heats at last year’s world championships in Beijing, Bideau saw a different athlete.
“As soon as I saw him there I could tell he was a different guy, he was joking around, he was relaxed, there was no frown on his face and he wasn’t worrying about everything,” Bideau said.
“He ran well and sort of got tired the last 30 metres and missed out but he came up to me afterwards and said ‘I think I’ve figured it out’.
“Sometimes that is what happens, when they are too serious, too intense all the time they just hurt themselves.”
Australia’s Ryan Gregson in action during the heats of the 1500m. Picture: Phil HillyardSource:News Corp Australia
Bideau knows the new-relaxed version of Gregson has the tools to be a factor in an Olympic final.
“He gets what you have to do, that’s what the good athletes do, he knows how to run,” he said. “I’m relaxed watching him because I know he’s not going to be stressed about the situation.
“He won’t be bothered at the Olympic Games.”
Originally published as The trick that helped Gregson regain form
