Best Day still to come

All eyes were on Usain Bolt in anticipation of witnessing the world’s fastest man strut his stuff in Melbourne at 2017’s Nitro Athletics, but Australians couldn’t help but notice the young girl in the lane to his right sporting green and gold.

Esteemed commentator Bruce McAvaney identified the Australian as 16-year-old Riley Day, who was soon nicknamed the “Beaudesert Bullet” after becoming an overnight sensation.

Just days later she proceeded to claim an emphatic victory in the 150m, with McAvaney declaring that “a star is born” and co-commentator Tamsyn Lewis Manou echoing his comments when suggesting Day has “Olympics in her blood”.

Four years on and their claims ring true, with Day officially selected to represent Australian in Tokyo after running 22.77 seconds over 200m before winning the national title to secure an automatic selection.

But the path that led to an Olympic berth and 9^th on the Australian all-time list was far from a smooth ride for the once prodigious junior - who was forced to learn to deal with pressure, expectation and injury at a younger age than most.

“I went from school nationals as a 15-year-old to getting chosen to race against Usain Bolt three months later,” she said.

“I took it in my stride and didn’t let it pressure me too much. I told myself I can only do the best that I can do.”

Winning both 100m and 200m Open national titles at only 17-years-old saw Day’s trajectory skyrocket, with appearances at the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London and a home Commonwealth Games in 2018 further fueling the hysteria.

Day had constructed an illustrious resume at a young age after also competing at the IAAF World Under 20 Championships and World Athletics Relay Championships, but the public’s impatience had pressure mounting on a breakthrough performance at the international level.

Many declared that the Beaudesert Bullet was firing blanks, but Day knew she was gaining invaluable experience that would hold her in good stead in the long term.

“Every event that I go to helps me build myself as an athlete both mentally and physically,” she said. 

In these times Day sought the advice of fellow Australian and Olympic champion Sally Pearson.

“Sally always gave me a helping hand whenever I needed some advice. There’s no better person to go to than someone who has done everything that you want to achieve,” she said.

“I haven’t competed to the level that I would like to on a world stage, but I am looking to make close to the final at the Olympics this year. I’m targeting 22.5 which is what Ella Nelson ran in Rio and she finished ninth - so that’s my goal.”

The 21-year-old’s resurgence in 2021 has stemmed from stringing an extended period of training together without injury under the watchful eye of coach Paul Pearce, whose philosophy is to get the basics right consistently.

“I have been training the best that I have been training in my entire life over the past few months,” she said.

“After nationals everything has gone new levels that I didn’t think I would reach before. I don’t want to waste this opportunity because it doesn’t come around very often for many people, so I’m doing everything at 110 per cent.”

Day concedes that the way she ran the 22.77 performance at the 2021 Sydney Track Classic which saw her qualify for Tokyo was somewhat uncharacteristic, unofficially running 11.43 on the bend which is faster than her 100m personal best.

“The bend isn’t strong point of mine, but that race it just clicked. I normally run over the top, but my adrenaline was absolutely rushing before that race because I knew I was going to qualify,” she said.  

Whilst pressure has been ingrained Day’s career since its inception, the gifted sprinter credits her ability to focus internally as one of her greatest assets – finding a balance between running for herself and managing expectations.

“It’s a lot of mental over physical. If you believe you can run 22.5 – you will run it,” she said.

Day regards her parents as her greatest supporters on her journey to Tokyo, with their absence in the crowd set to be just one difference in the pandemic-affected Games.

“They come to almost every single one of my races and to miss the biggest race of my life will be tough for them but there’s always the future,” she said.

Day will also play an integral role for Australia’s women in their 4x100m Olympic bid as they look to qualify, with the team tasked with running close to the national record to return to the quota.

“The girls are running faster than we ever have before. Hopefully we can get that Australian record of 42.99, it’s definitely achievable and we all want it,” she said.

Due to the early success of Riley Day’s career, many forget that she is only 21 years old.

And at an age when most begin to dabble in the Open ranks domestically, the Beaudesert Bullet is off to the Olympic Games with a wealth of experience under her belt.  

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 9/6/2021