28 October 2024

Meet Elena.

Elena is a dedicated Urology registrar at Austin Health and in addition to her medical career, she is an elite athlete who has competed in three Olympic cycles in pistol shooting, including the recent Paris Olympics.

Balancing the demanding worlds of medicine and sports, she exemplifies resilience and commitment. Elena spoke to us about her recent trip and how she was able to juggle work while preparing, and how many of the skills she’s learnt throughout her athletic career are also used in her everyday work.

How did you prepare for the Paris Olympics compared to your previous experiences in Tokyo and Rio?

Before I competed in Tokyo I wasn't sure if I was going to continue with my sport afterwards, but I left there feeling I wanted more of the experience, especially since Tokyo was so heavily affected by COVID. Paris was extra hard to prepare for because I was a SET trainee. The expectations, hours, responsibilities are all more than when you are an unaccredited registrar. I worked in 2022 full time at Western Health with the focus being on settling into SET training. I had early discussions with the USANZ Board about the possibility of flexible training in 2023/2024 to give my Paris campaign a go. After having done two Olympic cycles already I know the time commitment required, and I knew that I would be comparatively time poor doing this in conjunction with surgical training so I tried to focus on making sure the quality of my training was high and I was spending time on the right tasks.

How has competing in three Olympics shaped your approach to the sport of pistol shooting?

Doing the three Olympic cycles has taught me to connect with my values and with the 'why'. To take stock and enjoy the journey and be less focused on the 'destination' or the outcome. It’s easier said than done. Sport is unpredictable, performance fluctuates, and you need to get satisfaction out of it irrespective of a score or a podium finish. Enjoyment will definitely need to be a focus if I continue with the sport.

Can you share a challenge you faced during the Paris Olympics and how you overcame it?

I had some equipment trouble a couple of days out from my main event. My pistol was malfunctioning and some shots were not firing, and if that happens in the competition you lose points. Part of the stress was in the decision about what to do to rectify it. As we did not know the exact source of the problem, there were a couple of possibilities. All of our equipment is pretty fine-tuned and specific to the individual so I wanted to make minimal changes but still solve the problem. Once I made the decision and accepted the situation, it was easier to move past it. Focusing on the things that were in my control, focusing on my task and how I go about executing that and trusting in my competence helped.

What are your future aspirations in pistol shooting or any other professional endeavours?

I am not sure what I want in the future with pistol shooting. I have definitely learned a lot of great life lessons, skills and things about myself through the participation in the sport, so it is hard to contemplate moving on from that. I do know that studying for my fellowship exam will be quite prohibitive to my continued participation in anything more than a social or casual capacity. If I can get my FRACS relatively promptly, maybe afterward I can see how the sport slots back into my life. If anyone has any advice I am all ears!

Professionally I want to find an area to subspecialise in within urology, at the moment I am not sure what to pursue. I hope to somehow integrate my experience as a three-time Olympian to positively influence surgical training and the trainees coming after me.

How do the precision and focus required in pistol shooting compare to those needed in your medical practice?

Participation in elite sport has definitely taught me how to plan, set goals, prioritise, manage time and is continual lesson on behaving in a way that aligns with my values. Another big lesson is how to deal with setbacks and errors and how they don't define you as a person, athlete or doctor. I believe these things are critical as a health professional. I am going to have to draw on these skills to complete my SET training program and beyond.

In addition to those above there are more transferrable skills. To name just a few : fine motor skills that can help me learn new operations and techniques, the skill of self reflection and insight into own performances strengths and weaknesses, communication and teamwork, approaching things with a curious mindset and growing through being outside your comfort zone. Trusting competence is a big thing, and something I am trying to carry forward with me in my return to full time surgical registrar life.

One thing I think athletes and sports do better than we do in healthcare is prioritising and promoting rest and recovery and recognising how important that is for sustained high performance. I must admit I am still learning to prioritise that especially with my transition back to work, I had a nice six-month reprieve of not being woken up at night and lengthy on call! There are some aspects of healthcare that do make it hard to prioritise our own wellbeing due to the systems so it’s even more important to be aware of that because burnout can significantly impact how we show up to work.

In what ways has your experience as a doctor influenced your mental and physical preparation for the Olympics?

My experience as a doctor can sometimes help with perspective when the sport pressures get a bit too much. All sports are games and the pressure of it is quite interesting and different to healthcare. It is 'man-made' in a way.

When seeing patients and providing healthcare, the patient in front of you takes up a lot of attention, I find I don't notice much mind wandering and I usually feel quite present. With pistol shooting, there is a lot of automaticity. The task is challenging in different ways to healthcare but I feel there is a lot more room for mind wandering. I spent a lot of time working on being present and mindful like I am with patients.