Rising Australian pole vault superstar Kurtis Marschall learnt some valuable lessons after missing the mat and breaking both heels while competing in last year's Diamond League final.
It was the first hiccup in a short, spectacular career to date for the 21-year-old Marschall that has otherwise included only highs.
He spent six weeks daily alternating a moon boot on his left and right feet.
Now fully recovered from the August 31 mishap, Marschall eased back into competition off an abbreviated run-up a couple of weeks ago in Perth and will revert to his full approach for the first time in Monday's Canberra Track Classic.
"I'm back to 100 per cent; there are no plantar fascia issues or anything like that," the 2018 Commonwealth Games champion told AAP.
"We know exactly why it happened.
"It was a combination of a few technical errors and of having competed two days before in Zurich.
"Showing up in Brussels fatigued didn't help and we've corrected that.
"It could have been worse on the day; I could have come down on my head.
"So I've learnt from the experience and I'm looking forward to taking that knowledge into the rest of my career and hopefully not doing that ever again."
In Zurich, Marschall smashed his personal best with 5.86m - the best jump by an Australian in seven years.
After the Canberra Classic, he will head to Europe for three indoor meets in February, culminating in an exclusive pole vault-only event in Clermont-Ferrand hosted by French world record holder Renaud Lavillenie.
Marschall would love to tick off the world championships qualifying mark of 5.71m in Canberra on Monday, kickstarting off a year which culminates at the world titles in Doha.
But the big target remains the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where Marschall shapes as a legitimate medal contender.
"This year is more a learning year so we know exactly what to do come 2020," he said.
"In 2020 you want to be this absolutely robust athlete that nothing can affect.
"We want to take everything we learn from 2019, go as hard as we can in all the different areas and then devise the plan from what we've learnt going into 2020."
