After winning his second consecutive World Championships in Adelaide last month the 28-year-old reflected on a time not that long ago when even getting back on the water seemed a long shot.

“It all really caught up with me,” Wearn said. “Having to go into a few big events with the back end of COVID just created a chronic fatigue-like state. The body needed rest was the main thing.”

Fighting for the Right

Australia’s famed ILCA 7 squad has seen the nation win three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the class, with Tom Slingsby (London 2012), Tom Burton (Rio 2016) and Matt Wearn in Tokyo creating an unmatched legacy.

Wearn first cracked the Australian Sailing Team as an 18-year-old in 2014 and although Burton was seen as the natural successor after Slingsby’s retirement Wearn didn’t necessarily see it that way.

“More and more times I was starting to beat Tom at different levels of competition from squad regattas to bigger overseas events, so as 2016 rolled around I was really pushing to have the selection extended for as long as possible.”

By the time the selection panel met, Wearn was ranked number one in the world and Burton number two.

“They probably saw something I didn’t see in so far as maturity in the class or the ability to deal with the pressures of the Games and they sent Tom which ended up being a great call from the point that he brought back a gold medal so I couldn’t be too disappointed,” Wearn said.

“Being world number one at the time of selection and not being selected was really disappointing, but it really lit the fire for the next four years.”

Here we go again

Come the Tokyo Olympics and it was déjà vu for the Australian selectors.

Wearn and Burton were again the top two ranked ILCA 7 sailors in the world, but this time it was Burton on top and Wearn in second.

“I had a bitter taste in my mouth after Rio which drove me to tick every box I could,” said Wearn of the campaign. “I won the Euros that year and never finished worse than fourth at the Olympic venue, so I think that consistency helped convince the selectors.”

The selectors had nailed it again. Wearn overcame a slow start at the delayed Games to win gold for Australia.

“It was just really special,” Wearn said.

“We had a really tight team who had the same mentality, we were there to do well and win medals and I was fortunate enough to do that myself.”

Getting pushed down and trying to get back up

Even before Tokyo Wearn had decided he was going to be campaigning for Paris 2024. With that gruelling five-year campaign only recently in the rear-view mirror Wearn began the truncated Paris campaign in earnest.

“It was a shortened campaign, so I didn’t take the time off that I needed after Tokyo. I went to Europe in early 2022 and a series of illnesses caught up with me with a bit of fatigue thrown in before catching COVID for the first time.”

COVID turned into long-COVID and before he knew it Wearn was being forced to pull out of the World Championships in Mexico before a race was run.

“My body needed rest. I just needed to let the body repair and get over the symptoms which included vertigo. I had to give the body a good two or three months of absolutely nothing after pushing it so hard trying to push through the illness which was hard to deal with at the time.

“It brought a lot of emotional and mental struggles, and there were times where depression was kicking in. Nothing was worth doing and I couldn’t find the energy to get moving and get out of the house, it was just easier to lay in bed all day.

Seeing the Light

“Once my body started to repair a bit and I could see the start of the light at the end of the tunnel things started to progress. In some sense it is still a work in progress, but it took twelve months before I could get back to a point where I could be confident enough in my body to push it hard and do that without getting sick again.

“Getting pushed back down when you were trying to get back up was very tough at the time. The remainder of 2022 was all about small steps forward. Just getting back on the bike for ten minutes felt like a massive win.

“In October and November things really started to shift as I started winding the sessions up a bit and once 2023 rolled around I was able to start competing again which was great from a mental standpoint.”

The Transition Plan

Coaching transition plans can often be fraught with danger, especially when it is one with the pedigree of the Australian ILCA 7 squad. Michael Blackburn led the team to three Olympic Games for three gold medals, but for Paris he has handed the reigns to Spaniard Rafa Trujillo who has taken them and run.

“Rafa’s been a fantastic addition not just myself but for the whole squad,” Wearn noted.

“He’s brought that typical Spanish flair which has been fun and enjoyable. I’ve been fortunate to have him polish off the areas Blackers (Blackburn) and I had worked on in recent years. We’ve still got a long way to go, but we are well on track.”

Started from the bottom, now we're here

By April 2023 Wearn had posted three consecutive top ten finishes at European events, but the comeback really took shape when he won the Olympic Test Event in July.

Wearn entered the final Medal Race (top ten double points) in second place, nine points astern of the leader – Great Britain’s Micky Beckett. Wearn showed all his experience to win the race, and with Beckett finishing ninth it meant victory for the Aussie.

“Relief is probably the biggest emotion. To get that result and to win on Olympic waters was phenomenal and it just helped confirm that the work we had done was working and we were back on track.”

One month later Wearn and Trujillo were in The Netherlands as the West Australian went chasing the one title yet to elude him – a World Championship.

“It was a tough regatta being so close to the Test Event. I hadn’t really had time off for almost 18-months, so my energy and mental capacity were really low.”

Wearn came into the penultimate race of the regatta in second place behind Beckett again. In sailing athletes can discard their worst score from their scorecard, but if you add a second high score it spells trouble as it cannot be discarded.

Before that final fleet race Beckett’s worst result (discard) was a black flag (70 points) and Wearn’s an 11. The Aussie then isolated Beckett and sailed him to the back of the fleet, adding 66 to Beckett’s scorecard and just 11 to Wearn’s.

It was enough to ensure Wearn had won his first World Championship before the Medal Race.

“I just kept chipping away and leaning on my processes as the week went on. Once the opportunity arose to try and seal a World Championship, we had to take it with both hands.”

Bringing out the Best

Sometimes training partner, sometimes podium buddy, always in competition. Micky Beckett has emerged as the biggest threat to Wearn’s Olympic prospects with the two finishing on the podium at all three key events over the past nine months.

“You see it in a lot of sports where the people that have these rivalries at the top it seems to give them another level,” Wearn said. “I am super grateful for that.

“I am embracing the rivalry and enjoying it, but also understanding there are plenty of others in the fleet trying to take both of us down.”

The Lucky One

As Wearn reflects on his comeback from long-COIVD he stops to note how lucky he is to find himself in this position.

“I’ve been fortunate to be linked with people who are still suffering from long-COIVD and I fully appreciate that I am one of the lucky ones. I still have issues associated with long-COIVD that I deal with daily but nothing that stops me from living my life.

“I’m incredibly lucky and it has put huge perspective around what I do. I go out on the water every day understanding how lucky I am to do be able to do what I do.”

Legacy Keeper

What is driving Wearn as he finalises his surge towards Marseille?

“Continuing Australia’s legacy having won the past three Olympic gold medals in the class is a big driving factor.

“There is also that personal side. While there have been multiple gold medallists in the class, no athlete has been able to go back-to-back so to be the first person to do that would be big for me.”

Wearn remains as hungry as ever as Paris approaches, despite all he has achieved he still has a point to prove.

“I want to show the world that Rafa and I are just as strong as Blackers and I were three years ago, and hopefully I can inspire others who are going through tough times of their own.”

The sailing competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be held from Sunday 28 July to Thursday 8 August at the Marseille Marina.