Ryan Gregson preparing to scale new heights at Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games

Spectators didn't know it, his opponents didn't know it and even some of his Australian teammates didn't know it.

But he did.

What followed was nevertheless disappointing, the Bulli product finishing 11th and missing the semi-finals.

While Gregson recognises he entered the meet on the back of a hampered preparation, the result was not what he travelled to Doha to achieve.

"World Championships was definitely disappointing," Gregson said. "When things go bad, I tend not to talk about it.

"I wasn't quite right from June. I had a few injuries, they weren't major, but they were just nagging. I wasn't able to generate the power I needed to when I was running."

With the Tokyo Olympics less than a year away, Gregson returned home and took five weeks off running to allow his body to fully recover before he started his push for the 2020 Games.

Such a break is almost unheard for professional runners, however the 29-year-old recognises it's exactly what he needed to return to his best this season.

"I don't usually take that much time off running, but I had to get those niggles fixed. I needed those five weeks to get them right."

Once healthy, Gregson commenced the final year of his journey back to the Olympic Games.

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After making the final in Rio the Melbourne-based athlete formulated his plans with a goal to peak in Tokyo in 2020.

Those plans, however, have now been thrown into disarray as a result of the spread of coronavirus.

First the Australian Championships were postponed, later cancelled, and then last month the Tokyo Olympics were moved back to 2021.

"Since the last Olympics when I made the final, I've been doing all I can to go better and get as close as I can to a medal. That was the plan.

"That's still the goal. It just won't be 2020 when I redeem myself and go better, it will be 2021. I have no problem with that."

For someone of his age, a one-year delay could be devastating to achieving an Olympic dream.

But not for Gregson.

The middle-distance runner is instead eyeing the situation as an opportunity.

Another year of training means an opportunity to ensure that summit he reaches in Tokyo next winter will be even higher than he could have achieved in 2020.

"There's always a silver lining to things," Gregson said. "This provides another 52 weeks to get even fitter and stronger.

"You can see it with my wife Genevieve. Since Rio, she's had pretty much three years of constant injury. She has about eight months running under her belt and has been running amazing.

"With a year and eight months, she'll be even better. That's the kind of mentality I will have, and a lot of athletes will, this gives us more time to be better."

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