After a disappointing London Olympics where the Australian 4 x 400 relay team failed to qualify for the final, Ben Offereins is refreshed and on the comeback trail.
Offereins, now 27, admits he lost the passion for the sport.
“There was a point where I ticked the last box I felt I needed to tick in order to feel like I was successful in the sport, so I took the time off to really decide what I wanted to do,” Offereins said.
“There were times where I thought I would just give it away, I had had enough of it, but towards the end it started to get back at me a little bit.
Offereins feels he is now ready to have another tilt on the elite stage.
“I had been at that top sort of level for 10 years and I just needed a break,” Offereins said. “But it seems to have worked because I am back now and I am happy to be back.”
“I left it until that point where I actually wanted to go out for a run, I wanted to put the joggers on and do some exercise.”
Offereins also believes a change to his training program will also benefit him moving forward.
“I’ve gone back into the gym again because I feel like over the last few years I have just (got) weaker and weaker and that is why (I) have gotten slower and slower.”
The results and progress in just a few months is encouraging for the Perth-based runner.
“In the last three months we have gone from not being able to keep up with some Sunday jogger going down the coast, to now coming second at nationals and going to world champs,” he said.
“I think it shows that what we are doing is working, so if we keep going with that we will see what happens.”
Ultimately, Offereins has his sights set on competing at the Olympics in Rio in 2016.