If you haven’t caught any of the Paralympic coverage on TV yet, you’ve been missing out. One of the highlights had to be three-time Paralympian long jumper Olivia Breen, who took to the stadium on last week to battle it out for a place on the podium.
Livvy, as she’s known, narrowly missed out on a bronze medal, but still achieved an impressive fourth place – a huge achievement, and one that took years of dedicated training and effort.
The athlete, who was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at age two, has some hearing impairment and learning difficulties but has never let that stop her from chasing her dreams. “My mum always treated me the same as my brothers,” she smiles. “I was never treated differently, so I didn’t see myself disabled.”
Reflecting on a sporty childhood, she remembers the first time her parents realised she had potential as a professional athlete. “I was always a sporty child – I’ve loved it my whole life,” she explains. “While I had a bit of a slow start, when I was five years old, I did my first sprint at sports day. My parents were like, “Wow, she’s a really fast runner!””.
And the rest is history, really. Below, she chats to Marie Claire UK about what keeps her pushing forward, her hopes, dreams, and her race day comping mechanisms, plus the five life lessons she wishes she’d known sooner. While you’re here, don’t miss our dedicated Women in Sport coverage, including our cover interview with Team GB sprinters Daryll Neita and Laviai Nielsen, plus 16 fun facts about the athletes. We’ve also got longer form articles on how Paris marked the first ever gender equal Olympics, plus an investigation into why mothers are underestimated in sport and a round up of most iconic Olympic fashion moments throughout history.
Olivia Breen: “There’s always more to be done”
1. Trying lots of sports is a surefire way to figure out what works for you
Talking about her childhood and her love of movement, Breen reflects on trying lots of different sports to figure out which she enjoyed and which, well, weren’t for her.
“I did loads of other sports,” she explains. “I just wanted to try them out, as I always thought that it can really benefit us to give lots of different sports a go.”
Bottom line: trying lots of new sports or workouts can be one of the simplest ways to nail down what you enjoy and what isn’t for you. For Breen, it’s always been running. For many others, they may find more joy in cycling, strength training, dancing, or HIIT classes.
2. Pursuing your passions in life is key
For Breen, she’s known from a young age that sport was her passion and this was the path that she’d follow. And she encourages others to do the same, stressing how enjoyable every day is knowing she’s doing something that she’s passionate about.
“My life’s always been sport,” she reflects. “I love it and it’s my dream job. I feel so lucky to be able to pursue a career that I’m so passionate about.”
3. Reminding yourself how capable you are is key
And this applies to all areas of your life. Reflecting on how nervous she can get pre-race, Breen shares that she still very much feels the butterflies – that said, she uses breathwork training, visualisation and trust in her training to keep her calm.
“I think I get more nervous now because I’ve sacrificed so much,” she reflects. “I’m very disciplined. My job means so much to me.”
So, how does she keep on top of pre-race nerves and quell any start-line anxiety? “I try and control my nerves by staying quiet and keeping myself to myself,” she shares. “My coach and I will meet, and we’ll talk through the race plan. He always reminds me that I’ve done all the hard work at that point, so I’ve just got to trust myself.”
4. It’s important to learn from mistakes
Breen competes regularly on the world stage and has had her fair share of heartbreaks, including narrowly missing out on bronze at the Paris 2024 Games.
So, how does she handle the setbacks and stop them from knocking her backwards? “I’m always like, okay, I make a mistake,” she explains. “Now, I need to learn from it for next time. That’s my way of coping with it.”
“There’s always more to be done. I always ask, how can I make myself better? For me, it’s normally eating well, sleeping well, and prioritising recovery. All of the little things add up.”
5. Always follow your dreams
Finally, Breen is hugely passionate about encouraging
“Find what you’re good at and don’t ever give up because you never know.”
