For the first time since March, Nadine Visser ran a competition again during the FBK Games in Hengelo. The 27-year-old hurdler sustained a tear in her hamstring for the second time during the Dutch National Championships indoor at the beginning of March. “Of course that happened at a bad moment,” says Visser after her return.
Visser was one of the favorites to go for a medal at the World Indoor Championships. Instead of a podium in Belgrade, Visser was waiting for rehabilitation and she could prepare for the outdoor season. In Oordegem (Belgium) she would run a race again for the first time, but that plan turned out differently.
Minor complaints threw a spanner in the works. “If my hamstring starts to nag, I become insecure. As soon as that is gone, I have confidence,” says Visser, who starts to listen better to her body. She now knows the tricks of the trade and will sometimes take it easy during training sessions to give her hamstring a rest.
The 2021 European champion has also resolved not to take any more risks for such matches. “Now that I’ve torn it twice, my hamstring continues to be a focus. If it doesn’t feel right, I’m not running.”
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Visser competes at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon (United States). The World Championships will take place from July 15 to July 24.