PARA-triathlete Justin Godfrey is back on the bike.
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And the run. And swim.
Godfrey, who has lived in Albury since 2002, finished sixth in the World Championships in Chicago in September.
It was a performance that made the dream of the Rio Paralympics tangible — a performance off the back of an injury and complications that made training almost impossible.
A motorbike crash when he was 15 left Godfrey with a badly dislocated knee and complications that led to amputation.
The stump on the 40-year-old’s amputated right leg was not getting enough blood flow — it meant sores and pain that left him with running in the pool as his only training option.
In November, he had surgery for a live skin graft — designed to bolster the tissue around the stump.
A four-hour operation became a nine-hour ordeal.
“It’s been a long struggle to get back to where I was,” he said.
“The surgeons couldn’t find a blood flow for the graft from my thigh and almost gave up entirely.
“I’ve had three different legs fitted since as the swelling subsided and should have my last leg fitted pretty soon.
“I’m racing with a leg that is about one kilogram heavier than what the final prosthetic will be, because it is designed to be adjusted.”
Yet Godfrey is finishing on the podium.
He returned to competition in January, 16 weeks after surgery, winning at Penrith in “slow time”.
Wins in an off-road triathlon at Thredbo and again in Queensland followed for the father of two.
But his effort 10 days ago in Japan finally re-affir- med Godfrey as a serious international competitor.
In Yokohama, an event in which he finished sixth last year before Chicago, he recorded personal bests in all three legs — a 750-metre swim, 10-kilometre bike leg and five-kilometre run.
He also was fastest in transition on his way to a bronze medal.
“You can train all you like but turning that into a podium finish was unbelievable,” he said.
“I could really feel the heavier leg but I took 30 seconds off my swim, a minute off the bike and 1½ minutes off the run.
“It means I can go to Chicago in September time off a 12-week training program tailored for the event.
“At the moment I’m fifth in the world and guaranteed a start in what is the grand final of the world championship that is limited to just 12 competitors in my category.
“That gives me a lot more confidence, heading to the US.”
Godfrey took up mountain-bike riding after he move to Albury and his caught the attention of Albury triathlon coach Fabrizio Andreoni, who convinced him to give the sport a go.
“I like the variety in training for three disciplines,” he said.”
Godfrey joined the Albury Wodonga Triathlon Club in September 2012 to fine tune his running and swimming technique to match the strength of his cycling.