Being the oldest contestant ever to appear on SAS Australia, Olympic beach volleyball champion Kerri Pottharst knew she was in for a rough journey, but it’s one she has no regrets about taking.
“I was about to say no, I thought I was too old, I had injuries from 20 years of elite sports,” the 56-year-old tells Woman’s Day.
“But a lot of the reason why I went on there, people my age, particularly women, tend to say no, we don’t take risks anymore.
“Some people might say, ‘Well, I’m over the hill, or I’m too old for this’ and I wanted to change that mindset.”
Kerri Pottharst refused to let her age stop her from appearing on SAS Australia.
(Channel Seven)
Kerri says that after she signed on the dotted line, her “competitive juices kicked in” and she set out on a rigorous training regime to get into shape.
“I thought to myself, ‘Yes I have a goal again’, I hadn’t had a goal in 20 years – since my third Olympics in Athens,” she says.
“But it was full steam ahead after that and I really loved it all.
“I feel strong. SAS really got me back to being an athlete again.”
Enlisting the help of previous SAS stars Candice Warner, Shayna Jack and Shannan Ponton, Kerri put herself through a mini-SAS course in the weeks leading up to the show.
That included lifting heavy weights in the gym, dunking herself into ice baths and eating lots of fruit and veg.
“I treated it like I was going for a gold medal.
“I wanted to be as fit as I possibly could, not just physically, but mentally too.”
And the results speak for themselves with Kerri looking and moving how she did when she won gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
And she hopes her appearance on the series inspires anyone entering their 50s to “just say yes”.
“I’m not saying you need SAS to motivate you, but just set a goal,” Kerri says.
“Nothing is impossible when you put your mind to it.
“Look at me, I’m the oldest SAS Australia contestant. I’m so proud of that.”
Tune in to SAS Australia on Channel Seven at 7:30pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
