Tristan Thomas Interview (Brink Vault)

Another 'vault' episode today as we venture back to 2012 to speak with another Tasmanian Olympic athlete in hurdler Tristan Thomas. Talking up his then recent Olympic experience through to the frustrations he has had through his career with injury, it's a fun chat that we know you will enjoy!

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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

Please note this is an automated transcript that may contain errors.

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BEN WATERWORTH: Welcome back to Off The Podium, An Olympics Podcast, and we are continuing on our vault episode series, where we're basically going into the vault to do episodes with Olympians. Yes, former interviews we have done on our parents' show, The Brink, and this is where we talk to several Olympic athletes and people, I guess, connected to the Olympics over the years. 2012 was the year that I spoke to Tristan Thomas. Tristan is a hurdler, and he competed in the 2012 Olympics in London. And also is a world championship bronze medallist, having been part of Australia's 4x100m relay team in 2009. And this was a fun interview. I'd actually, going into this interview, interviewed Tristan previously through my work in a local magazine. I'd written a feature on him. And so this was kind of my second interview that I had done with Tristan. And another person that we have connected in hopes that we can get him back on the show for maybe a bit more of a different interview. But, yes, this is great fun, a lot of proud Tasmanian, glad to say that another Tasmanian athlete here at least on the show. So here he is, Tristan Thomas, 2012 Olympian, and now interview, finally enough, from 2012.

BEN WATERWORTH: Tristan Thomas competed in the 2012 London Olympics in the 400m hurdles, where he made the semi-finals. Prior to the Olympics, Tristan won the World University Games in the same event in 2009, and was a member of the bronze medal-winning relay team in the 4x400m at the 2009 World Athletics Championships. I spoke to Tristan about his amazing career, and just what he does do with his medals, and other sporting memorabilia from his athletics. Tristan, welcome to the Brink and Edge Radio.

TRISTAN THOMAS: Thank you very much for having me. It's good to be talking to someone who's done their research.

BEN WATERWORTH: Yes, yes, we strive very hard to do our research. But it's obviously been a big year for you, mate. I mean, as I said, highlight this year clearly, the Olympics in London back in August. How was that experience in the Olympics, and how have you adapted to life as an Olympian after the games have finished?

TRISTAN THOMAS: It's obviously something that everyone knows about. Everyone knows about the Olympics. Everyone will always ask you how was the Olympics, and when you say you're a sportsman, the first question that you're always going to ask is did you go to the Olympics? So for me, it was like, it was the pinnacle. So we actually go there and see what life is actually like in the village, and life is actually like competing there and speaking to people. It was just a real experience. Some things I probably expected more, but other things, you know, I'll never be able to match that experience again. I guess life hasn't really changed too much. But again, it's something that, you know, if a rock hit me in the head tomorrow and I could never run again, I could always say that I went to the Olympics. So it's always something that will be held in high esteem by people.

BEN WATERWORTH: Let's hope that rock doesn't definitely come and hit you in the head. I mean, I know you've obviously been competing nationally now for a few years. You first competed in the Commonwealth Games in 2006, and you unfortunately missed out in 2008 for the Olympics due to injury. I suppose you're also getting asked this question a fair bit now, Tristan, about Rio. I mean, you've got the hunger inside of you now for the Olympics from London. Are you going to keep going on now to Rio and maybe even push to be in the final?

TRISTAN THOMAS: I think, again, as I said, it's very, very etched in people's brains, Commonwealth Games and the Olympics. When people ask me, do you want to make the final in Rio, my answer is, definitely, I would love to do that. And I definitely strive towards doing that every training session. But for me, as with all people in athletics, I guess the exciting thing is there's a major championship every year. So we have Commonwealth Games 2014, but 2013 we've got World Champs in Moscow, and then in 2015 there's World Champs in Beijing. So basically every year there's a major event, and it's one of those sports where, unlike say a hockey game where it's more like just being a person, you're always trying to strive to reach your personal best. So for me, I really would love to go on Rio, but I equally just want to run as fast as I can do, you know, in any club down the road. So it's exciting and pushing forward. Hopefully there's a lot of big things to come still.

BEN WATERWORTH: Well, a few something that people might not realise about you, Tristan. You're the second fastest Australian of all time in the 400-metre hurdles. And as I mentioned at the top there, you're also a bronze medallist at the World Championships. Now this came in the 4x400 metre relay in Berlin. What was this experience like coming home as a world championship bronze medallist?

TRISTAN THOMAS: It was 2009, and I guess it was a time that everything was going really well. And, you know, it was just looking like huge things could happen after that. It's now been, you know, three years since then. But if I do have to say how that day was, I guess probably the hardest of my life would be the victory lap that I did with the other three Australian guys. You got 70,000 people in the stadium, and though we only got third, you know, we were so excited after finishing. You know, we were pretty much, you know, having a big, you know, it probably didn't look normal to a lot of people on TV, but we were jumping all over each other and it was exciting. And, you know, when we did the walk of the victory lap, they actually sung, and they put on the loudspeaker, Land Down Under. So it was almost like we won gold, and it was just this crazy experience with great people and something I'll always remember. But again, in an individual sport like athletics, I'd love to achieve something like that on my own, but, you know, I'm also once again very excited to have done it.

BEN WATERWORTH: Well, it's something I think really that some people maybe don't give much credit for, Tristan, because, I mean, looking at Berlin 2009 and the World Championships, I mean, it was one of only four medals that Australia won. And I mean, athletics clearly isn't our number one sport, but when we do win medals, I think really, I suppose, more credit should be given, shouldn't it?

TRISTAN THOMAS: Honestly, that's one of the things it's a bit taboo to say this. And you get a lot of people from a lot of sports, you know, commenting on how, say, their sport lives up to, say, like an ASL, which gets all the coverage and all the love. And you know, not only do people know their name, but they could tell you, you know, how many kicks they had 14 years ago. And for me, to come back from World Champs, which is the same calibre of competition as the Olympics, until I've had a bronze medal, it was a serious achievement. And I guess, you know, whilst I didn't expect to be a front page news and, you know, to be a household name, I guess I kind of expected something more to come out of it. And apart from someone like a Johnny Steffensen, who's made a very good name for himself by being a character, it's very hard to sort of break into the mould if you're not a very good-looking long-durall. So, again, I'm very proud of how we did, and I'll obviously always look back at that and say it was an amazing achievement. But until I do an Olympics or until that kind of thing happens, and again, until you say something funny or silly, we look back at Sally Pearson, and she's now an amazing figure of Australian sport. But the event that sort of, the two events that really sculpt Sally other than her performance on the track were her interview after the last Olympics, where she's gone off and the emotions have gone crazy. And then we've got Colmoth Games, where she got disqualified after winning the 100. So you look at reasons why people know her, and it's not even necessarily due to athletics. So I guess for me, it's hard in that, you know, what is a scrawny redhead to do? I don't think there's many gigs on redhead matches that are around for endorsements, but it's something that obviously, you know, we've got to make a living in, and hopefully in time to come, you know, events happen and things can shift forward.

BEN WATERWORTH: We'll start a campaign up. We'll help you out there, Tristan, somehow. Get you to say something silly and funny and go out there and get the Redhead Matches sponsorship or something like that.

TRISTAN THOMAS: That's all about that.

BEN WATERWORTH: We'll see what we can do. I think, too, also, I mean, it's good that you mentioned with the medal. I mean, it's been such a proud achievement. Also, a University Games gold medallist, too. Now, I wasn't even aware that the University Games existed. Is this something that you like to kind of pull up at a dinner party and say, not only am I a World Championship bronze medallist, I'm also a gold medallist at the University Games in Serbia?

TRISTAN THOMAS: I don't know how many people, you know, I'd be a bit of a platter if I was going around saying that I was this and that and everything. Again, I guess the problem with that is, despite University Games in Australia, it's pretty much just a drunk fest where everyone just goes and, you know, has a great week and socialises. But at World University Games, it's a fair dinkum competition. So my second quickest time ever was one of that event. But who's going to care? Like I could say to someone, but they don't even know, as you said, that it even exists. So unless it's Colmoth Games or unless it's the Olympics, you know, you could break the world record, and it's going to get about five seconds of tension and then be gone. So again, I'm really proud of it. The medal could have been a bit better. It's not very shiny. It doesn't have the event or the name or anything on it. But at the same time, you know, it would be good to show to kids in a few years' time. And I guess I've just got to put it as another thing there. More than anything, I guess, it was a good way of showing that I could handle the pressure. And hopefully, I learned some things that, you know, when I'm in better shape in a few years to come and I'm not plagued by injuries, then, you know, as you said, finally, I would be great, great to do it.

BEN WATERWORTH: Do you keep the medals somewhere special? Do you put them up on display? Same as, say, the Olympic clothes and all the kind of memorabilia you got from London?

TRISTAN THOMAS: Well, I just, I literally, about a week ago, got the luggage back from London and started unpacking it yesterday. And the amount of stuff, it's actually really, it's funny. What do you do with that kind of stuff? Because your closet's lined with hundreds of, you know, Australia t-shirt. You can't, most of them you're never going to wear again because you look a bit silly walking around the road, you know, in a bright yellow Australia top. But at the same time, you can't sell them, and, you know, there's only so many people you can offer them to. So, you know, it's funny that I've got so much of that stuff. But as far as the medals, which was the initial question, I, at this stage, have just got them all compiled in a little box of mine. One day, I'm sure when it's all finished, I wouldn't mind getting a few framed. I think the World Champs one especially would be something that, you know, again, not everyone gets one of those, so I'd like to put it as a bit of an heirloom. But at the moment, I guess, I don't know, I'm only renting a house, and I'm not established in life yet, so I wouldn't want to do something that's going to cause too much problems when I move one day.

BEN WATERWORTH: Down the line, you can have a pool room, you know, going to put it up there in the wall and invite the kids in there, and you know, that's what daddy did one day.

TRISTAN THOMAS: I've actually got, I actually, from the Olympics and from a couple of events beforehand, there was a huge, like, you know, being as big as a person London logo, and it was on the warm-up track, so I ripped that off halfway through the Olympics, and then just got all these people to sign that, and got that posted in the post back home, so that's on my wall now. So you talk about a pool room, but yeah, it's something that, you know, I could certainly decorate a house with, you know, a lot of people wouldn't want it, but a lot of sporting stuff one day.

BEN WATERWORTH: As long as it matters to you, Tristan, I suppose, that's what matters, isn't it?

TRISTAN THOMAS: It sadly is, but as I said, when I spoke to you a while ago, it's nice to think that potentially it would have an effect on other people as well. So, you know, I'd love to think that one day a kid who wouldn't have done sport or wouldn't have done athletics or whatnot sees what us as just normal people have done. And, you know, if we could be inspiring to people, especially give a little video game crazed society where exercise isn't as prominent as it used to be, it'd be great to think you're part of the cause and part of the change. It matters what it means to me, but it would also be great to matter to others.

BEN WATERWORTH: Well, that's a good point you make. And we were talking about endorsements before. Well, look, we'll work out some sort of video game to get kids out on the track at the same time as playing a video game, kind of like a Wii-style thing or a Kinect controller. And it could be the Tristan Thomas hurdle experience coming soon to Xbox.

TRISTAN THOMAS: It would be huge. But then as soon as it did, they'd change the name and they'd call it whatever. It'd be the Tiger Woods 600 game.

BEN WATERWORTH: Something we'll work out afterwards, Tristan. But what we do with every interview, we wrap it up with a set of five questions. And these are probably the five easiest or silliest questions you'll get asked your entire career, starting off with question number one. What is your favourite type of cheese?

TRISTAN THOMAS: My favourite type of cheese would be goat's cheese with ash on it. You can't have much, but without being too funny, I'd have to say that would be the best.

BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah, I had that answered a few times, I think, actually. And I've never tried it. I'm kind of putting that on the cheese bucket list, I think, Tristan, for me to try down the line.

TRISTAN THOMAS: There's not a lot of answers you can give, though, really. With these, they're easy questions, but you want to, it's hard to make them funny. And really, there's only so many cheeses out there.

BEN WATERWORTH: That's very true. That's very true. But we'll get people, we'll get the questions to people beforehand, and they can get some writers and come up with something very funny, maybe. How does that sound?

TRISTAN THOMAS: There you go.

BEN WATERWORTH: People working down the line.

TRISTAN THOMAS: It will be good for the next person who gets the interview.

BEN WATERWORTH: Yes, exactly. Well, question number two, then. We're talking about questions that don't really have much answer to go funny with. Are you a folder or a scruncher?

TRISTAN THOMAS: I'm a scruncher. I've actually, I've asked this question many years ago, and I just, I'd never really thought about it. And then I'm like, oh. And then I practise a few times to see whether the other method works. But I just think you get more spread on the scrunch. Yes.

BEN WATERWORTH: Okay. I was picturing something wrong there for a second. But no, I'm loving the answers to this one, the kind of the different mythologies behind people's reasoning why they fold or scrunch. We're learning a lot on the show with that question.

TRISTAN THOMAS: What are the ratios? Are you finding more folders or more scrunches?

BEN WATERWORTH: Well, when we last tallied them up, I think there was a few more folders and then scrunches, but we also then have to factor in the scrollers, Tristan. The people do halfway in between a fold and a scrunch. There's a third option. They'll recruit you. They'll recruit you before the next Olympics.

TRISTAN THOMAS: They should.

BEN WATERWORTH: The scrolling bandwagon. Yes. I like it. I like it. Question number three, Tristan. Growing up, what was your dream job?

TRISTAN THOMAS: I actually had a company living in Ireland. So I grew up as a bit of a wild child. I wanted to play football or soccer for Ireland back in the day. But as far as non-sporty jobs, I don't really know. I guess there would have been a fireman stage, and there probably was a phase where I wanted to be a dinosaur back in the early evolution of the brain. But yeah, I think, you know, at the moment, I would have been a physiotherapist, but basically I don't even know now. So the question could go on forever.

BEN WATERWORTH: Well, I think, stick with the dinosaur one. I think every child at one point wanted to be a dinosaur, and that's something that more people should continue to strive to be, is a dinosaur.

TRISTAN THOMAS: Which is ironic, given that you can't actually be one in their experience.

BEN WATERWORTH: Well, I wonder if the person dressed as Barney the dinosaur had that dream, he's just living his childhood dream.

TRISTAN THOMAS: Well, he'd be kind of sad if he didn't, given he's the only person that got to live it.

BEN WATERWORTH: That's very true, very true. Also, growing up, Tristan, question number four. Who was your childhood celebrity crush?

TRISTAN THOMAS: What's wrong? I don't know if you watch it, maybe you can help me out with this. I think her name is Alyssa Milano, maybe. But it's the girl of charm. So there were the three, I shoot at witches, and it was the best booking of those three. But I probably had a crush a minute back in the day. I'm not even sure.

BEN WATERWORTH: We'll go with that one. Kind of the fantasy genre of witches and vampires kind of tickled your fancy a bit there.

TRISTAN THOMAS: Kind of sad. Probably would have character lessons from there as well.

BEN WATERWORTH: Nothing wrong with that. I never got the whole Buffy thing when it was on TV, but somebody introduced it to me several years later, and I got hooked watching it on DVDs. And then I was kind of like, yeah, okay, Sarah Michelle Geller, I'd go there. I understand it.

TRISTAN THOMAS: I concur. And I'm still getting hooked on these random TV shows, and you just press 22 episodes in a row, and you know, the swervery crushes just keep on coming.

BEN WATERWORTH: Oh, yeah. We're gonna love the DVD, the TV and DVD releases there. They're brilliant. Well, the final question for you today, Tristan, what is your worst habit?

TRISTAN THOMAS: I don't know. I mean, all the bad ones. I guess you bite your fingernails occasionally. I've never even thought about it. I think the one that gets me the most trouble is I'm very honest, like I'm very blunt, and I don't sugarcoat things very well. So, whilst most of the time, some people can find that refreshing, I think a lot of people would find my inability to sugarcoat things and saying things how they are can sometimes come across poorly to the people who don't like what they hear.

BEN WATERWORTH: I can understand that. I think that's a good worst habit to have. I'm like one of those people you said who think it's a good thing, but I can understand too obviously how people would see that as a bad thing, because yeah, that's an interesting one, Tristan. I like that answer. Well, I'm going to remember that for next time, I think, Tristan, because I will say thank you very much for your time today, mate. It's been a lot of fun, and we'll keep an eye on your progress, no doubt, very, very closely, and I'm sure we'll no doubt get you back on the show again in the future as you go on to even greater successes.

TRISTAN THOMAS: Thanks very much, Ben, and good luck with your own successes. I've seen a lot of the Survivor stuff, so it sounds like I'm not the only celebrity on the air at the moment.

BEN WATERWORTH: Tristan didn't sadly make it to the Rio Games, but still, pleasure to have him on the show. Missed out injury play career, and we obviously, you know, sad to see that, but wish Tristan all the best continuing on with the sport and in hurdling. We will be back for another classic interview from The Vault. Stay tuned, thank you for your support through these, and we hope you're enjoying them. We're enjoying bringing them to you. And you can always listen to them, ones that you've missed perhaps, or of course, all the other episodes that you've missed throughout our history. Just head to iTunes, easiest way to find them on there. Remember to subscribe, you can rate us, you can leave us feedback, and also Facebook as well. Like us on there, search for Off The Podium Podcast. Easiest way to stay in touch. In the meantime, we're out of here. I'm Ben, thanks for tuning in to Off The Podium, and we will speak to you next time wherever you are hearing my voice.