GALLAGHER Laura

General
RETURN TO THE SPORT
She quit the sport in early 2016 following a series of injuries and performances that did not meet her personal expectations. "It was just too much, I couldn't think clearly. I couldn't make the right decisions and make clear decisions. Those things are really needed in sport. But you then lose perspective of yourself and your identity. And then it doesn't just happen in the trampoline world, it happens to you as a person." She renewed her passion for sport playing hockey and began her return to trampolining in September 2016. After triumphing at the 2017 British National Championship in Liverpool, England, she again decided to focus on the sport. "That's why the British Championships in 2017 meant so much to me, because actually I wasn't sure at that point. It was still very much competition to competition, let's see where this goes. I then went on to the World Cup and smashed that competition personally. It's been a brilliant experience after several years of really tough times and challenges and asking myself why I'm still putting myself through it." (tokyo2020.org, 25 Feb 2021; sportspielonline.com, 03 Mar 2019; bridgwatermercury.co.uk, 28 Dec 2017)

FULL-TIME ATHLETE
She became a full-time athlete in 2019, training five days a week at the National Sports Centre in Lilleshall, England. After quitting trampolining in 2016, she had worked as a teaching assistant in children's services while studying for a distance learning degree in psychology, before gradually returning to the sport, which she says has given her new perspective. "I do have a lot more time now to recover and spend the time doing the things I probably didn't have time for before, but I'm grateful to have experienced that busyness. It made me more resilient, tougher and more motivated. I was getting up early, training in the morning, going to work, having a two-minute power nap when I got to training, and then training again before going home and studying or writing an assignment." (givemesport.com, 24 Dec 2019)

FINAL CHANCE IN TOKYO
She expects the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo to be her final chance to compete at the Games. "It's sort of my third try and the last try I suppose, because I don't think I'll be going for another cycle, so it would mean a lot. In saying that, having been on the journey that I've been on I'm not afraid of the transition if it doesn't work for me. I would be gutted if I didn't make it at that final hurdle but on the same front, I know that I'll be fine whatever happens." (givemesport.com, 24 Dec 2019)

COELIAC DISEASE
In 2012 she was diagnosed with coeliac disease, a condition that results in damage to the small intestine from foods containing gluten. "I felt tired all the time and my insides ached. I thought it was the training but it got really bad and it turned out to be coeliac disease. It's been a challenge but I'm used to the diet now. It's just difficult when I go abroad because I can't have processed meats and other items. I have to be really careful." (thisisthewestcountry.co.uk, 03 Feb 2014)