CROSS COUNTRY
Unexpected
When
Cian recovers from shoulder surgery midway through 2022 .
For someone who had no ambition or plans to run the World Cross Country Championships in 2023 , Cian Oldknow certainly put on one of the better performances by a South African in Australia . Running on what the ‘ old dogs ’ called a “ proper cross country course ,” because it had everything – climbs , climbs and more climbs , steep descents , dust , heat and inclement weather ( a storm was approaching ) – Cian ran her race with a maturity that belied her years and experience , by pacing herself well and making up places in the field as she finished 27th and first of the South African women in the senior race .
Cian Oldknow ’ s running plans had to be ‘ put on ice ’ midway through 2022 , she thought she would only be able to return to top form later in 2023 , but things worked out better than expected , and in February she unexpectedly found herself representing her country again . – BY MANFRED SEIDLER
The reason Cian did not have the World Championships in her plans for 2023 was due to undergoing a third shoulder operation in July 2022 . Having set 23 PBs during an 18-month period in in 2021 through to mid-2022 , and worn the green and gold of South Africa for the first time in June 2022 at the Africa Championships in Mauritius , she had no choice but to undergo surgery to address an ongoing issue with her shoulder , which regularly dislocates – sometimes even mid-race . That happened in the 10,000m at the African Champs , just 150m after the start , forcing Cian to stop , pop her should back in , then continue her race !
Images : Cameron Spence / Getty Images for World Athletics & courtesy Cian Oldknow , George Bradley
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