An injury took him out of competition in 1994. The following year, rather than returning to steepchase, he began running 5,000 and 10,000 meter races, which were easier on his body. By 1996 he was ranked 11th in the world in 10,000 meters and set a new Australian record. He has recently taken up the marathon and will focus on that event for the 2000 Olympics. Switch to a sport with fewer competitors.
Some sports draw upon a much larger pool of athletes than others.
Generally this means the competition will be tougher and some talented athletes will be shut out of the top levels. But in another sport they might be among the best. In 1990 Bobby Knight offered Lloy Ball a basketball scholarship to Indiana University. Some people's dream is to play for the NBA, but my dream has always been winning the Olympic gold medal. I chose volleyball over basketball because I thought it was the sport that gave me the greatest chance to win that medal.