Training and preparation helped me succeed as an Olympian — and in my life after sport

This First Person article is the experience of Neville Wright, a former Olympian based in Edmonton. For more information about CBC’s First Person stories, please see the FAQ.

I got the email in 2022. I was going to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Not as a spectator. And despite being a three-time Olympian, I wasn’t going as an athlete either. 

I would be a member of the staff, supporting the men’s national team for Canada Soccer as a performance recovery therapist and sprint consultant. 

Being part of such a high-performing team was everything I could have asked for. 

It was motivating. It was inspiring. It was a feeling only