Olympic medallist Hannah ‘ROWING & ROMANCE SAVED ME!'

Waikato sporting hero Hannah Osbourne opens up about her struggles with depression and introduces her husband-to-be

- India Hendrikse

When Olympic rower Hannah Osborne won silver in the double sculls in Tokyo in July, all she wanted to do was hug her loved ones. But COVID restrictions meant her family and beloved fiancé, fellow rower Anthony Allen, were at home in Aotearoa, cheering her on from afar.

“It was hard not to celebrate afterwards with them,” she tells Woman’s Day. “I wanted to give them a big cuddle and say, ‘Thank you for being there.’ Anthony has really seen me at my best and worst, with the same to be said for my family and his.”

Naturally quite shy, Cambridge-based Hannah struggles with being in the spotlight. Instead, she’s more comfortable out on the water, on her family farm or making pottery at home, where she has her own wheel.

She says her Olympic achievement still hasn’t really sunk in. “I don’t think it ever will,” Hannah admits. “It’s one of those things where you work so hard and then the moment is gone in the blink of an eye.”

Going into the Games, the 27-year-old hoped success would be monumental for her self-esteem. “I had a naive expectation I’d suddenly feel worthy having finally reached my Olympic dream. I was expecting to have become this beam of sunshine, free from self-doubt or insecurity. But the reality is, no matter where you go, you take yourself with you.”

A DARK PLACE

For five years, Hannah put her heart and soul into training, with the Games becoming a reality over the past two years. Rowing is her outlet and a tool she uses to battle mental health struggles. Since her teenage years, she’s had depression, which hit her severely when she was studying at university in the US.