NEWMAN Alysha

General
INJURY DOWNTIME
She required a significant period of downtime after injuring her patellar tendon in 2018, which only made her more determined to succeed in sport. "I have always been very passionate about track, but also about things off the track. I think a lot of people were like, 'Oh, she's going to end up being an Instagram model or just focusing on her [physical] appeal, rather than what she is actually capable of'. It took a lot out of me because I wasn't there [competing]. That was hard on me. I wasn't the same person without track. When I realised it, that I needed it, everything fell into place. I was able to heal and realise I don't want to live without track and field in my life, and that pole vaulting is something that I am most passionate about. Now, every time I go down the runway I don't take it for granted, because any time or any day could be the last time I go down the runway." (torontosun.com, 05 Feb 2019)

FUTURE CAREER
She is passionate about fashion and interior decorating, and says the latter allows her to create an optimal environment for recovery from training. "My primary sport-related goal over the next five years is to win a medal at the [2020] Olympics. However, as a professional athlete, I've got lots of downtime recovering from workouts. I've come to realise that I recover best when I'm in an environment that makes me feel good. This insight is what led me to interior decorating. Regardless of where I find myself, I'm always looking for ways to enhance my surroundings. For now, I'm focused on helping friends with decorating their condos/houses but by the time I'm 30, I want to be doing this as a part-time career." (blog.buywell.com, 01 Apr 2019)