Pichler battles rough road to India

THOMAS Pichler’s road to the Commonwealth Games has been a pot-holed track marked with negative detours.

Such were the battles facing the Cleveland gymnast, 23, there were times when career-threatening injuries, an operation and rehabilitation threatened to be too much.

With dogged determination, patience and growing confidence instilled by his gymnastics coach, Serguei Chinkar, he left the potholes behind and entered the fast lane of a new highway.

Pichler damaged his knee in a skiing accident in Austria 18 months ago.

“Making mistakes is all part of life – it’s a matter of learning from them and bouncing back,” he said.

“It required a complete ACL knee reconstruction and nine months of rehabilitation. The 2009 season went out the window, the World Championships with it.”

Astonishingly, Pichler made it to the Australian Championships in Canberra last month, where he claimed gold medals in floor and parallel bars; a bronze on horizontal bar and a career-best second in the all-around competition.

Ian Gault, Wynnum Herald, 18/08/2010