It's a Cole World: Olympian Sara Blicavs on battling back from debilitating injury

• Blicavs underwent a spinal infusion surgery in early 2024
• She is now back playing with the Melbourne Tigers in NBL1 and was recently named an Opal for the Trans-Tasman Throwdown
• She is yet to announce a WNBL team, but that will likely be the next step in her return

When Sara Blicavs found herself unable to stand up from a couch without taking 15 seconds to become upright, scared to sneeze, and experiencing pins and needles down her legs after basketball games, she knew something had to change.

The Olympian, two-time WNBL champion and bronze World Cup medallist tells basketball.com.au's Bec Cole she was facing the most formidable opponent of her career– debilitating back pain that threatened not just her sporting career, but her quality of life.

The Breaking Point

"I always had a pretty crap back," Blicavs explains.

For three years before surgery, she struggled with increasing back pain, managing it through anti-inflammatories and back injections to keep going. Like many athletes, the surgical route wasn't an immediate recommendation from medical professionals.

With the 2024 Paris Olympics on the horizon — a major goal for Blicavs —she was determined to push through. However, a pivotal moment came during a game against Townsville in the WNBL on 23 December 2023, when she took a fall that significantly worsened her condition.

"Basically from that moment on, it just got worse and worse," she recalls. The symptoms became increasingly alarming, affecting her everyday movements and quality of life. For Blicavs, the decision to undergo spinal surgery wasn't merely about basketball anymore — it was about reclaiming a normal, pain-free existence.

The decision didn't come lightly. It meant giving up on her Olympic dreams and potentially ending her basketball career altogether. "I was really flat for three weeks because I knew that meant no Olympics, and again, potentially no basketball for the rest of my life," she shares.

Watch the full interview with Bec and Sara below.

The Mental Game of Recovery

The period following her decision was emotionally challenging. For professional athletes, sport often forms a central part of their identity, making injuries and setbacks particularly difficult to navigate.

"Your whole identity is basketball," Blicavs acknowledges. However, at 30 years old, she had gained perspective that might have eluded her younger self. Having already experienced an Olympics (albeit asan emergency player by her own description) and won a World Cup bronze medal,she had achievements to look back on with pride.

Blicavs credits her resilience to several factors: her belief that everything happens for a reason, her business outside basketball,her supportive partner Darryl, and a family who provided perspective beyond the sport.

"Not once did they ever ask me about basketball. Not once do they even care,”

“I just realised that no one cares about basketball, no one cares about you, and there's more to life."

This realisation freed Blicavs to focus on her recovery without the pressure of expectations. Surprisingly, she found herself enjoying the rehabilitation process, describing it as "the best thing for me mentally to just completely refresh and restart."

The Road to Recovery

The physical journey back to health began immediately after surgery. "As soon as I woke up, I had to wiggle my toes and move my legs," Blicavs recalls, aware of the three to four per cent risk associated with the procedure.

The first three months were particularly challenging. She wasn't allowed to bend or twist her back at all and could only stand or sit fora maximum of 30 minutes before needing to lie down. Simple tasks became complicated — dropping items meant using a pickup stick rather than bending to retrieve them.

Fortunately, Blicavs had expert support through her scholarship at the Victorian Institute of Sport. Physio Steve Hawkins and strength and conditioning coach Nathan Lee were instrumental in her recovery."They spent almost every day with me, rehabbing me, watching my movements,"she says gratefully.

Her rehabilitation progressed gradually — from careful walking to swimming (a skill she had to learn, as "not many basketballers can swim"), and eventually running drills around the eight-month mark. By nine months post-surgery, she was back on the basketball court.

Blicavs set herself a specific goal early in her recovery:to dunk a tennis ball again, something she had been able to do in her early twenties before an ACL injury. Remarkably, she achieved this goal at the nine-month mark — a powerful affirmation that she had regained her jump, speed and athleticism.

Rediscovering Joy in Basketball

For many athletes, the grind of professional sport can dim the passion that drew them to it initially. Blicavs's forced break from basketball provided an unexpected opportunity to reconnect with that original joy.

"Basketball's hard. It's so mentally tough," she reflects. "You hate your coaches sometimes. You hate your teammates sometimes. It's the same routine." The time away allowed her to reset her relationship with the sport.

When she returned to play with the Melbourne Tigers in NBL1 — her junior club — she experienced a sense of nostalgia that brought her back to when basketball was purely fun.

"When I played for Tigers when I was 15years old, I was having so much fun. Friday nights were the best night of the week for me. I loved it, and I have that feeling again," she shares.

This newfound freedom from pressure has transformed her approach to the game. Her favourite quote now is simply "meh, whatever" — a far cry from the stress she used to feel about making teams, winning games, and performing at her best.

Back in the Green and Gold

Perhaps the most emotional chapter in Blicavs's comeback story came when she was invited to join the Australian Opals for a training camp in April, less than a year after her surgery. When asked about this experience during a press conference in Adelaide, she was moved to tears — unusual for someone who doesn't typically cry.

"It really did hit me that I can't believe I'm back here, and really enjoying it, playing the game I love and already back with the green and gold," she explains. "It was so overwhelming to me."

While initially uncertain if she would be ready for the camp, Blicavs found herself holding her own on the court. When she received the call that she'd made the team to play against New Zealand in the Trans Tasman showdown, the feeling rivalled her excitement at making the World Cup team.

"I couldn't believe it," she says.

"A year ago, I was literally lying down on the ground 24 hours a day, and then to be playing against New Zealand is awesome."

The experience of playing with the Opals again highlighted how much she had grown. Where once she might have been caught up in nerves and anxiety, she now found herself feeling "calm and collected" on the court — a stark contrast to some of her younger teammates.

Looking Forward

With the NBL1 season continuing until August and a "90 percent chance" she'll be back in the WNBL this season, Blicavs' come back is gaining momentum.

Though she remains tight-lipped about which WNBL team she might join, she hints she'll go "somewhere that will support me in my future endeavours and somewhere that I will be the most happiest."

Her ambitions extend to making the LA28 Opals team — a goal that would provide a fitting capstone to her international career.

"I feel like that would end my Australian career quite nicely," she suggests, noting that at 34 or 35, she might be ready to step back from the physical demands of international play.

However, she maintains a balanced perspective: "Whatever happens, happens. I don't want to put myself under that pressure anymore."

Her focus remains on what she can control – having fun, playing hard, and continuing to develop her game.

New Beginnings

As she continues her recovery journey, Blicavs is embarking on an exciting new venture with Basketball.com.au, where she'll conduct interviews focusing on getting to know "the person over the athlete" — moving beyond basketball talk to reveal the personalities behind the performances.

"For me, it's just about getting to know the person over the athlete," she explains.

"We all do interviews about basketball, and sometimes it's nice to actually get to know the person behind the scenes and their personality."

 For the full interview, check out It's a Cole World with Bec Cole and Sara Blicavs in the video player above.