The biggest highlight on the Australian Sporting Calendar is the State – of – Origin, a best of three Rugby series that pits players from Queensland and New South Wales against each other. During the second game of the series, Queensland’s Johnathon Thurston delivered a game changing kick. That kick was the match winner for Queensland.
One must imagine that it was a nerve wrecking, heart stopping moment for Thurston, but it wasn’t. Johnathon had an almost season ending shoulder injury but he persevered and stayed in the game. That match winning kick must have meant a lot to him, but it didn’t get his heart racing.
Owing to the brilliant deal between Catapult Sports, a wearable tech company, and National Rugby League, we were shown that Thurston heart rate throughout the match had been 168 bpm, peaking to a 195, but during that kick his heart rate dropped to a 161. That right there is an unprecedented proof of what an excellent player Thurston is.
After the match, he mentioned how he managed to put himself in a calmer state of mind regardless of feeling the nerves. In his own words, “I was just going through my process of what I do, keeping calm, making sure [I stuck to] the process that I do a thousand times before, keep my head down and strike through the ball. Straight through.”
This was just one look to what the future of Australian Sports broadcasting looks like now. Australia is a country that has made tremendous advancements in the field of sports science. Player tracking is definitely a new experience for the consumers but it can be a deeply enriching one if done right.
