STEVENS Dani

General
RECOVERING FOR TOKYO
She took a 14-month break from the sport between May 2018 and July 2019 to rehabilitate a back injury. She then required surgery on a bulging disc in February 2020, which put her participation at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in doubt. Although the rescheduling of the Games until 2021 gave her extra time to regain her fitness, she revealed that she was more concerned about recovering full function of her body. "Athletics is one thing, but I was thinking more in regard to me as a person and day-to-day life. I couldn't lift my right arm above 90 degrees. So it was pretty significant. I was in a lot of pain with my neck and not being able to function properly. After undergoing surgery and then rehabbing, to hear that the Olympics had been postponed was a bit of a relief for me. I was grateful for the extra time as I now have an extra 12 months to prepare for the Olympics. I was going to be hard up against the deadline for the Olympics this year but we were still confident I was going to make it. I am a little bit grateful to be able to prepare and be in the best shape possible." (worldathletics.org, 20 Jun 2020; theaustralian.com.au, 01 May 2020; nswathletics.org.au, 01 Dec 2019)

LUCKY ESCAPE
She was hospitalised at age seven after drinking from a bottle of turpentine, a solvent used to produce varnishes in carpentry. "I accidentally drank a bottle of turps [turpentine] and I was rushed to hospital to get my stomach pumped. My father was a cabinet maker and he was busy polishing a cabinet back home when I was in the garage and thirsty. I picked up a spray bottle of turps, thinking it was water, and started drinking from it. I went blue in the face and milk was poured down my throat to stop me vomiting. I was rushed to hospital and stayed overnight, but thankfully I was fine. I learned my lesson to never drink from an unmarked bottle in the home of a cabinet maker." (spikes.iaaf.org, 30 Mar 2016)

PERSONAL LOSS
In 2004 her father Mark was killed after being hit by a lorry while on a training cycle for an Ironman competition. She has 'He lives in me' tattooed on her stomach, and dedicated her victory in discus throw at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Germany, to her father. (heraldsun.com.au, 22 Jul 2011; couriermail.com.au, 23 Aug 2009)

At age 21 years and 87 days she became the youngest female world champion in discus throw by claiming victory at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Germany. The triumph also made her the first Australian athlete to win gold in discus throw at the world championships. (SportsDeskOnline, 20 Feb 2020; theguardian.com, 14 Aug 2017)