He hit a whopping 138 kilos after retiring from swimming in 2004; ate his way around the world as a backpacker before he settled into a lifestyle of pizzas, pies, beer, more beer and endless partying.
Having lost 45 kilos in a year, the 2004 Athens Olympics gold medal winning Australian swimmer, Geoff Huegill, completed one of the most remarkable comebacks sports has seen.
Written off by his fellow swimmers, critics and himself, Huegill welcomed the weight of a Commonwealth Games gold medal on his chest, after winning the 100m butterfly event. As dramatic as the race was, Huegill’s story is even more captivating.
He retired after the Athens Games and his weight ballooned. After four years of partying and eating junk, he decided to return to competitive swimming last year, with the Delhi Games being his sole focus.
“I just ate and ate and ate. Did nothing. Then I thought, what’s the point living a life that way. Only thing I knew well was swimming, so I decided to comeback,” said the 31-year-old swimmer.
But the challenge that stared him in the face was enormous. He had to get back to shape, quickly. The fact that he lost 45kg might suggest he lived a Spartan life. But he didn’t. He led a balanced life and cut out the excesses.
“People think I stopped eating potato chips and stuff like that but I didn’t,” he said. “I just stopped eating the whole packet. I made sure the packet lasted me for a few days and not five minutes. I was also conscious of the size of the plates I used at the dinner table. With bigger plates there was always a tendency to eat more.
“Another thing you have to remember is not to be too hard on yourself. Don’t expect to be perfect at it. There will be days when it does not go well. It is also important to be realistic about your goals,” he said, stressing that there is no point starving. “And of course, you have to exercise.”
Fit again, he couldn’t wait to hit the pools of the SP Mukherjee Swimming Complex. “There was a lot of talk about folks pulling out, falling ill and stuff. But I wasn’t thinking about all that. My sole aim was to win the gold,” he said.
His motto in life is to believe in himself, and trust his abilities.
