In today’s “In Their Words” session, we feature two-time Olympian Christina Illum-Scherwin. Christina is a Danish javelin thrower whose international athletic career spanned 15 years.

While elite athletes may achieve many accolades and recognition, what is not seen is the grueling training, sacrifices, mental wear and tear, injuries, rigid schedules, and hardships required to be elite. Christina talks about the very real and often overlooked challenges of being an athlete.

JJW: How old were you when you started to compete?

CIS: I started my sport when I was around 11 years old because I had friends in the sport. I competed internationally from when I was about 16 to 32.

JJW: Why did you choose track and field?

CIS: I have always loved track and field. At first, I started with the heptathlon. There is something about you and a measuring tape or a stopwatch. It’s the analytics in me, I think. You always know where you are. You get rewarded by being able to track your results, or you get reminded you have more work to do. It’s hard for some, but it drove me to keep trying harder every day. I’m always on the hunt for personal records.

JJW: You are a highly accomplished athlete. Can you give me a rundown of your athletic resume?

CIS: Sure. I competed in the javelin at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.

I won the silver medal at the 2001 World University Games. In 2005, I finished 4th at World Championships and 5th at the 2006 European Championships.

I also set the Danish National Record for Javelin with a throw of 64.83 meters and am a 7-time Danish National Champion. In 2017, I won the European Masters.

I set the NCAA DIV III javelin record as a collegiate athlete while attending Moravian University. The record has stood for 18 years and is still standing. In 2015, I was inducted into the NCAA DIV III Hall of Fame.

JJW: What would you say is your greatest athletic achievement?

CIS: I would say two Olympic games will always stand as the pinnacle. That’s why I joined the sport. I watched the 1984 Olympics at the age of 8 and decided that someday I wanted to compete on that stage. However, from a result standpoint, getting 4th at the world championships was an incredible experience. I broke my national record several times during that meet.

JJW: Can you tell me about the challenges during your career and how you dealt with that adversity?

CIS: People don’t see the hard training that goes into being a professional athlete. They watch the meets and think that must be fun. It’s a lot of hard work. You must always train at the limit of what the body can handle to be competitive at the level you want. Sometimes, the body breaks down, and you must take a step back. It’s hard to stay patient, trust the process, and keep the mental side strong during tough times.

JJW: What difficulties did you face towards the end of your athletic career?

CIS: I retired at the age of 32. Many athletes have since asked me how I knew I was ready. Let me tell you, when you have reached that decision, you just know. You trust your gut. Remember, your gut is speaking from years and years of experience. It’s actually a more experienced decision than you would think.

I was at the age where I knew having a child took priority over training. If I were not in that situation, I probably would have continued another four years.

JJW: Do you have any advice for other athletes approaching retirement?

CIS: I would advise athletes to start planning before retirement – at least two years in advance. Start getting relevant work experience in the industry you are looking to get into. Even if you train 20-30-40 hours a week, make time for an internship, volunteer, or part-time work. Build a network. You will need that for job hunting. It’s very hard to end your career and have to start from scratch.

JJW: What are you doing now? What do you want to accomplish in your post-athletic career?

CIS: I went back to school and got my MBA. I worked in Management consulting and executive coaching. I love to bring my coaching experience to business leaders. There is so much to transfer, and just like elite athletes need coaches, so do executives. They will become so much more productive working with an executive coach. We are never done learning, even the greatest in their field. If we don’t get outside critique, we all, somewhere along the way, will stop our growth. External eyes and ears will give you an accurate picture of your reality, break down fundamentals, and help bring them up again.

JJW: Thank you, Christina. I appreciate you sharing your experience.

Christina makes it quite clear. The athletic life is rewarding, but the work is mentally and physically grueling.

When we watch Olympians or professional athletes compete, we can become enamored with the pomp and circumstances, medals, trophies, and award ceremonies. We often listen to the inspiring stories of these athletes and want to follow a similar path.

However, most don’t see the sacrifices of these athletes, such as the hours, intense work, physical pain, missed vacations, uncelebrated holidays, travel, time away from home, and regimented schedules.

The most significant sacrifice is the careers athletes put on hold. Athletes are so focused on performance that they often fail to see the next stage after sport. Christina aptly advises that athletes should prepare for retirement far in advance. Even though life after sport is challenging, with a plan and support team in place, you can move forward to a rewarding personal and professional life.