Optimising health to maximise performance
The Auckland-based swimmer, who originally hails from Hamilton, featured in the 2013 and 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships, finishing fifth in the men’s 400m freestyle S9 and was regarded as a likely qualifier for the Rio Paralympic Games.
But the New Zealand Para swimmer displaying a large chunk of courage aided by a relentlessly positive attitude and a top-notch support team of Paralympics New Zealand and High Performance Sport NZ staff, miraculously not only competed in Rio but thrived, setting four PB’s in one of the feel-good stories of the Rio 2016 Paralympics.
However, just a week out from the Paralympic Trials at the National Swim Championships disaster struck when the athlete born without a femur (thigh bone) on his right side fractured the fibula on his stump.
Naturally gutted to pick up the serious injury so close to the trials he nonetheless managed to quickly pick himself up from the heavy blow and he returned to training just three days later in a waterproof cast.
Describing Megan Munro – the High Performance Sport NZ physiotherapist – as “a huge help” she supported the serious injury with strapping and along with the medical staff, came up with a “pain-killing concoction” which allowed Jesse to race.
“Because of the nature of the fracture he couldn’t do any further damage by swimming, so Jesse decided to give the 400m freestyle (Jesse’s specialist event) a go at trials,” explains Megan.
Unfortunately, and understandably because of the pain, Jesse pulled up short of the qualification mark. However, due to the extenuating circumstances of his injury he was selected for Rio. It was a huge relief to Jesse and he was enormously grateful for the opportunity.
“I was devastated at the time (to miss out on qualification),” he explains. “It was a very scary time. The trials hadn’t gone as I planned but this is where PNZ were really great in that they took into consideration my broken leg when selecting the team.”
After undergoing a period on crutches to take the weight off his left leg, Megan then worked closely with Jesse and High Performance Sport NZ Strength and Conditioner Emily Nolan on strengthening his leg and the shoulders. He carried out regular core work in the gym and she also offered him “moral support” during this difficult period.
Described by Megan as “a quick healer,” Jesse quickly returned to full training and arrived at the pre-Games training camp in Orlando full of confidence only for disaster to strike once more a week ahead of his arrival in Rio.
Walking home from the pool with his coach, Gary Francis, in a thunderstorm he slipped in the wet and this time fractured his tibia. This was a more serious fracture and after initially fearing his Paralympic hopes were in tatters he was lifted when three expert orthopaedic surgeons decided that as the fracture, though all the way through the bone was undisplaced, therefore the risk of causing further damage by swimming was low.
In pain with the injury he still needed to be managed carefully with Megan adding: “The important thing was to try and keep him doing something, to stop him from going crazy,” she says. “We maintained his gym work to help his mind stay focused and to keep him further occupied we made him come to the pool to support the rest of the team.”
He spent a week out of the pool and in his first session back – just a day before the heats of his specialist event the 400m freestyle – the work out went surprisingly well.
Yet on competition day Jesse, now aged 21, badly underperformed in his heat failing to reach the final, a result which left the Kiwi in tears.
“I became so concerned with my leg, I forgot about the rest of the pain that goes with racing,” he explains. “I was devastated because I had planned to make the final.”
After shedding a tear with his physio, the pair then talked along with his coach about putting together a training strategy which would allow him to perform to his best for his two remaining events – the 100m backstroke and 100m butterfly – later in the competition. He also worked closely with High Performance Sport NZ doctor Jake Pearson to adjust his pain relief and talked regularly with his High Performance Sport NZ mental skills coach Rod Corban to lift his spirits.
“All three were a massive help and there is no way I could have raced without them,” he says. “I know it sounds corny but the body achieves what the mind believes and I think that it true.”
In a swimming miracle, Jesse went on to perform outstandingly well in his remaining events setting PBs in both the heats and finals of the 100m backstroke and 100m butterfly to place seventh and eighth, respectively and defy the seriousness of the injury.
It was a level of performance which stunned Megan.
“There is no way he managed to race without considerable pain,” she says. “What Jesse achieved was super human. For me, even though the team set many world records and won many gold medals in Rio, Jesse’s performance was the highlight. It was inspirational and hit home to me as to why I do my job.”
For Jesse overcoming the major obstacles he did in Rio fills him with belief in the future.
“It gives me great confidence but mostly a lot of respect for my support team and their knowledge and expertise,” he explains.
“Breaking a leg and then trying to swim is not something I would recommend but with the support of the guys, I was able to perform fairly respectably.”
