How Aussie marathon great almost became a paraplegic

2 years ago 291

When Steve Moneghetti suits up to beryllium inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame tonight, vivid successful the representation of the legendary long-distance runner volition beryllium a infinitesimal connected a trampoline 27 years agone that precise astir changed his beingness successful a large way.

Moneghetti volition beryllium immortalised among the pantheon of Australia's top sportspeople successful designation of his exceptional moving vocation and bonzer interaction arsenic a sports administrator.

His marathon imagination was sparked by the 1976 Olympic conflict betwixt defending champion Frank Shorter of America and the antheral who'd snatch the crown: East German Waldemar Cierpinski.

Stephen James Moneghetti – a skin-and-bone, sports-obsessed 13-year-old – was mesmerised by the race.

That two-man tussle, yet won by Cierpinski successful 2:09.55, would acceptable Moneghetti connected his mode to becoming a four-time Olympian and Commonwealth Games golden medallist, each successful the marathon.

He'd besides triumph bronze successful the marathon astatine the 1997 satellite championships successful Athens – the proudest infinitesimal of his vocation – and station 40:03 astatine Sydney's City to Surf successful 1991 to acceptable a grounds that, remarkably, inactive stands today.

But Moneghetti's unthinkable athletics vocation went frighteningly adjacent to ne'er coming to beryllium when, astatine the property of 21 connected a June nighttime successful 1984, helium attempted a backward somersault connected a trampoline and got the determination horribly wrong.

Later that nighttime it was revealed helium had suffered a fracture of a vertabra successful his neck, starring to a sedate fear.

Moneghetti's biography, Peter Howley's In the Long Run, notes his orthopaedic surgeon feared a spinal-cord wounded and paralysis.

Now 59, Moneghetti tin look backmost and marvel astatine his luck, thankful that a nine-week interruption from running, astir of which helium spent successful a cervix brace, was each that ensued physically.

But beyond the breached cervix were tears and depression.

His biography, published successful 1996, describes that play arsenic "the implicit lowest constituent of his life".

"They're those sliding-doors moments," Moneghetti tells Wide World of Sports up of his Sport Australia Hall of Fame induction.

"I could person been a paraplegic.

"For maine it was a defining moment. It steeled maine and made maine realise that I had immoderate imaginable to tally and I wasn't going to discarded it. I was calved with this talent, but you person to enactment hard to realise it. That was conscionable a turning constituent successful my beingness astatine the young property of 21.

"I learnt a beingness acquisition and came backmost and surely made each station a victor from there. You tin either fto it impact you successful a antagonistic way, oregon instrumentality it successful a affirmative mode and marque the champion usage of it – and I'm gladsome I did that."

Running again astatine an elite level was 1 concern.

Running astatine each was another.

"It was truly tough," Moneghetti recalls.

"I retrieve sitting successful a infirmary furniture reasoning I mightiness ne'er tally again and surely not astatine the levels I hoped to ... Whilst I've been palmy arsenic a runner, I conscionable emotion moving and the feeling and the almighty experiences that I got retired of conscionable going for a run. And to person that abruptly taken distant from maine was a truly pugnacious moment. There were acheronian times.

"It was large to person the enactment of radical astir you, but it was astir that erstwhile I got retired of determination and got backmost going (that I would) propulsion forward, larn from it and marque definite I did realise that imaginable that I had. I think, gladly, I got connected the travel and did that."

Moneghetti grew into specified a revered fig that helium was installed arsenic skipper of Australia's 1998 Commonwealth Games team, earlier again skippering his state astatine the Sydney Olympics of 2000.

After donning greenish and golden astatine the Seoul Olympics of 1988, the 1992 Games successful Barcelona and the 1996 Games successful Atlanta, Moneghetti had the cheers of a location assemblage spurring him connected arsenic helium graced the Olympic signifier a last clip successful Sydney.

In 2006, helium was politician of Australia's athletes colony astatine Melbourne's Commonwealth Games, and he's since served arsenic cook de ngo astatine the 2010, 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Moneghetti besides has roles connected the Sport Australia board, he's had 3 stints arsenic Victorian Institute of Sport chair, and he's been important to the Run for the Kids assemblage event, established to rise wealth for Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital.

"I accidental I've continued to enactment involved," a typically humble Moneghetti says.

"Sometimes with marathon moving and erstwhile you're representing your country, you're a spot self-focused and you don't deliberation astir a batch of different things. You effort to stock it with the radical who person supported you. But since I've retired I've been capable to beryllium successful different roles ... which has been fantastic. To person been capable to springiness thing backmost to the athletics that I person conscionable got truthful overmuch enjoyment retired of is lovely."

Moneghetti is present acceptable to articulation a hallway of fame including Herb Elliott, Ralph Doubell, Rob de Castella, Betty Cuthbert, Shirley Strickland, Cathy Freeman, Edwin Flack, Derek Clayton, Ron Clarke and a big of different Australian athletics icons.

"It is an astonishing list," Moneghetti says.

"You don't deliberation astir it, (but) present that I'm a subordinate you tin bespeak connected those things. To articulation an esteemed institution of athletes is conscionable precise humbling ... They're each household names and, for me, each clip I pulled connected that green-and-gold singlet I tried to bash the champion I could for my country.

"You don't consciousness similar you merit to articulation that group, but you can't bash immoderate much than your best.

"So present I am."

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