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It was Oaks (Ladies) Day at Flemington yesterday and while one lady, Samantha Miss, stole all the headlines I was able to enjoy my first day at a major race meeting.

I had never been to Spring Carnival or anything like it before yesterday and I loved the glitz and glamour of Flemington.

I was wide awake by race one, having already trained in the morning and it paid off when I may have fluked the trifecta. I don’t know a lot about horses or the form and I was just picking based on names and lucky numbers and came out of the first with a decent win.

I was able to back a few more winners during the day and finished slightly ahead, so all in all it was a good day at the races.

Fortunately I was invited to the Channel 7 marquee and was able to enjoy the day in style. I feel lucky to have been given that opportunity. The marquee was right on the winning post, making it a lot easier to check out tight finishes.

It was also good to see plenty of young people out at the track enjoying themselves whilst being well behaved. Overall I thought it was a classy day.

The last week and a half has been huge for me, beginning with the Telstra Swimmer of the Year Awards at Sydney Aquatic Centre last Monday night and I was rapt to take out Swimmer of the Year.

The awards are a lot of fun and it’s a good time to catch up with all the team, who are all dressed up for a change and look a lot different than they do around the pool. I actually took my best friend Nevi with me to the awards and had a great time.

It was a real honour for me to win Swimmer of the Year. While you never really expect these things to happen I probably would have wondered what I had to do at the Olympics if I had not have won the award.

Having said that, there were a lot of great performances from all of the team in Beijing.

The most notable moment of the night was Grant Hackett announcing his retirement from swimming. A lot of us knew it was coming but thought Grant may have waited until after the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

I thought Hacky handled the announcement very well and as usual was all class.

The loss of Grant from the swim team, in addition to  other experienced swimmers such as Matt Welsh, Michael Klim, Susie O’Neill and Geoff Huegill among others leaves us with probably the youngest team we have had in a long time.

I think we will miss Hacky’s leadership and his support, but as for a replacement team captain I don’t think it’s something we need. It has only been in the last few years we have had a captain and I don’t think anyone in the current team fits that role right now.

In the pool I have been getting back into my training regime and have found it hard, as my fitness has been lacking, but hopefully that will return as I train more.

I mentioned in a newspaper interview a couple of weeks ago that, when I went to the USA it was to spend some time with Katie Hoff and not Michael Phelps, as was reported by various media outlets. I actually didn’t see Michael once while in the States.

I used to look up to Katie a lot and now that we are on the same level I have had more opportunity to talk to her and we found we’re a lot the same in that we train hard but both like to have a good time.

Basically I went to the USA to hang out with Katie and to get away from Australia for a bit. I want to go back there at some point and certainly wouldn’t mind if Katie chose to come to Australia for a holiday.

Tonight I am getting a plaque added at the Sydney Aquatic Centre for winning some gold medals, before heading home to Brisbane – should be fun.

Steph

I mentioned how good a time I had in Thailand in my last blog post, and despite some photos showing up in the press, I certainly don’t regret being able to let my hair down after some intense training and racing.

I was on a holiday with friends who were all in the same situation and all we wanted to do was get away and enjoy ourselves.

To see the photos turn up in the papers was disappointing but you will always have ups and downs with the media. Sometimes there are great words written about you, at other times they may write some things you don’t like.

Having said that, I do like being involved in the media, especially when it’s for a program such as 7’s Better Homes and Gardens.

It was a fun segment for me to do. The team came over and checked out our house and it made me think further about being involved in media when my swimming career ends.

Still on the media, I was snapped with my new Beijing Olympics tattoo at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards.

I had it done a few weeks ago on the inside of my bicep and a lot of people have commented about the positioning being a little strange as it looks upside down at times. I had seen Olympic rings tattoos on other female athletes and didn’t like it anywhere they had it and think it looks good where it is on me.

I had a great time with my little sister Courtenay at the Awards as we got to meet a heap of new people and make plenty of friends. I know she loved it.

My time out of the pool has now come to an end, but I did get to go to the Socceroos’ World Cup win over Qatar in Brisbane last night which was a fun event and, despite not being a huge fan of football, I felt like the team put on a great performance.

I am now back in the pool training as I prepare for World Championship trials in March.

It’s going to be a very short preparation for me. Five months is the shortest you could have and be in any shape to race, but it’s what we are doing and while I don’t think I will be swimming any personal bests at the trials, I believe I will be competitive.

The hardest thing about being back in the pool isn’t the training, but rather getting back into the routine after six weeks off. Though I have had six or seven sessions now and, like any routine, it gets easier with time.

My coach, Michael Bohl and I won’t be changing much about the way I train, but we will be participating in a few more training camps to help keep training as interesting as we can.

Steph

What an Olympic Games! In many ways I still look back and can’t believe it. The results I achieved were a huge shock for me.

Obviously I wanted to win gold, but to win gold in three events was beyond my expectations.

The Games for me were such a huge rollercoaster of emotions. It was the most emotional meet I have ever been a part of; there was a whole new level of highs and lows.

After the 400 individual medley, I was really excited and pumped up for the 200 IM. Then I got sick and was down, then I won the gold and was on a high again.

In terms of it sinking in that I had won gold, obviously you know once you look up and see the scoreboard, but I don’t think it will really sink in properly for another couple of years.

The proudest moment for me was standing on the dais with the Australian National Anthem playing.

What I couldn’t believe was the media blitz afterwards. I have never done so much media in my life and it was quite overwhelming.

As a result I couldn’t wait to go on a relaxing holiday with my friends to Thailand. It was really great to get away with a few people who were in the same boat and relax. Unfortunately I got sick on the fourth day and spent a couple of days not feeling very well, but those are the breaks.

I was disappointed to see some negative press about me missing parades while I was in Thailand, because I really do appreciate all the support I get from all over Australia and wanted to thank the Australian people, so when I got back for the Brisbane parade I was determined to really put on a good show.

I had some star moments at the Olympics but meeting some other Aussie athletes like the Men’s Basketball team and Alicia Molik was a highlight, as I love my tennis.

I actually met NBA star Kobe Bryant, but I’m not really strong on my knowledge of other sports and didn’t know who he was at first. I also saw Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the Dining Hall but didn’t venture up to say hello.

Aside from personal highlights at the Olympics my other favourite was Michael Phelps’ performance. Winning eight gold medals and being that dominant is a huge achievement. Phelps is a superstar to do everything he did and make no mistake it’s very hard.

While I can’t really keep track of what is ahead for me at the moment I have the Telstra People’s Choice Awards coming up and I urge you to vote at, http://www.beinvolved.telstra.com/ you even get the chance to win some awesome prizes just for voting.

Steph

It’s definitely been a whirlwind since we arrived back from Beijing and I have just been so busy that I don’t quite know where I am! I’ve only had about one or two nights at home, but that has just been so great to sleep in my own bed and try to take in everything that’s happened. It’s been an amazing time and I’m just trying to enjoy all the experiences that are coming my way because it is a pretty special thing to win three gold medals and get all the support I’ve been getting.

Honestly, my performances in Beijing were a huge shock to me. I haven’t really come to terms with what’s happened and I guess I’m still trying to let it all sink in.

The Games themselves were an amazing experience and obviously one I will never forget. Everything that came along with it, not just the racing, but living in the village, meeting all these people from other teams and countries and sports. It was just all so much fun and I really enjoyed every moment of the whole thing. Seeing people that you only usually see on TV and then just sort of passing by them in the food hall was an amazing experience. I met a couple of the Australian basketballers that I’d never met before and people like Alicia Molik and a bunch of people like that. It was so good.

Even when I was right in the middle of racing, I was having a good time. I think that some people get wound up in the pressure and the nerves and everything and I just went in there with the view that I was going to have no regrets and give everything to my performance. At the same time I wanted to just try to enjoy the moment and the experience. Obviously I wanted to get the best out of myself and I was focussed when I needed to be. It was just great and it definitely exceeded my expectations.

Although I went into the Games not ever thinking about end results, my goal was to try to get a medal in the 200m and the 400m individual medleys. But to come away with two individual golds and then a third one from the relay that we never even thought we’d win was incredible. It was all just a huge shock to do so well and win three gold medals! Wow, I still can’t really believe it.

I guess the most exciting thing for me on a personal level was just to see all the hard work pay off. We’ve all worked so long and hard to get where we are and to actually see it pay off at the Games was incredible.

Since we’ve been back things have been a bit different. There has just been so much attention on all of us and me personally. I guess you can’t really ever prepare for that. But like I said, we’ve just been so busy, so in a way that’s been good because I can still just keep enjoying the moment.

I am really looking forward to some downtime however. I’m taking a bit of a holiday next week so it will be good to get away and try to let things all sink in. The good thing is that I have another month off training. I haven’t done any exercise at all since I got out of the pool after my last race at the Games! It’s been VERY enjoyable! Not having to get up early every day and just going with the flow, throwing the whole routine of the past few years out the window and just enjoying normal things in life. It’s great!

But I will get back into in a month or so and things will start again. World swimming trials are in March, so I need to be getting back into shape for that and hopefully make that team. So there are a lot of things on the way, and obviously the ultimate goal is the London Games. But I’m not really thinking about that at the moment.

For now, I’m just looking at getting on with this break and enjoying it and then getting my motivation back to get into it again.

The big thing I want to say is thank you so much to all the Australians who have given me so much support. The Aussie support has just been amazing. Being in Beijing away from all of the media coverage was great for us at the time but coming back here has meant that all the attention has been a huge shock. We didn’t expect it but we really appreciate it. It wasn’t until we landed in Australia that we realised how big a deal it was and how much support we had.

It’s great to be able to represent Australia and I just feel so proud to have been given the flag to carry at the Closing Ceremony. It was such an honour and I want to give a big thanks to everyone for their support, it has just been fantastic.

I fly out for Kuala Lumpur today and I’m yet to start packing, but that’s ok, because no one really packs till the last minute anyway, right?

I’m looking forward to getting out of the rain that has blanketed Brisbane over the last few days and off to a warmer climate.

From KL we will head to Beijing and it’s there that I will really begin to focus on the Olympics. At the present time I am simply focused on preparing myself both mentally and physically for my first Olympic Games.

Everyone who has been to the Olympics says what a great experience it is and that it’s like nothing you have ever experienced before. I hope that’s true because I hope to enjoy every aspect of the Games.

I am going to love the competition the event offers and am really looking forward to racing. My battle with Katie Hoff should be an epic, but I can’t forget about the other swimmers who will be there because honestly they are all a threat.

What I am hoping for is to do well in the 400 metre Individual Medley on the first day of the swimming program and build from there.

While I love swimming both the 400IM as well as the 200IM I will be happy to get the 400 out of the way early, just because it is so physically draining.

At the moment I have a preference for the 200 but that’s only because it doesn’t take quite the toll on me that the 400 does.

When it comes to winning gold I can’t let it be my focus as yet. Right now I just have to focus on getting prepared and I want to be able to stand behind the blocks in Beijing satisfied in the knowledge I will be doing my absolute best.

I’ll get ready with my usual routine of getting in the warm-up pool, having a chat to my coach Michael Bohl and then listening to some music on my iPod. That routine has worked well for me over the last couple of years and I won’t be changing it now!

With morning finals being the format in Beijing I can’t say I am looking forward to them as I prefer the usual format of night finals. However I will be ready for them. If you can’t get up for finals at the Olympics you shouldn’t be in the sport.

As far as the Aussie team goes I think young guns Cate Campbell and Emily Seebohm will do very well and the usual suspects, namely Liesel Jones, Libby Trickett and Grant Hackett will perform very well.

Not to mention my boyfriend Eamon Sullivan. I’ll be cheering him all the way.

I haven’t seen a lot of the overseas swimmers but I thought US backstroke and medley swimmer Ryan Lochte was very impressive at the US Olympic trials and is definitely one to watch out for.

After the Games I am looking forward to a holiday, but I also want to explore China by seeing The Great Wall and visiting their markets for some shopping.

I won’t write again until after Beijing, so thanks to everyone for their support.

Steph