KEY POINTS:
Stress fractures in both legs, untimely viral infections: in the quiet moments Nick Willis could be forgiven for wondering if someone Up There has it in for him.
Tonight, New Zealand's best runner lines up in the heats of the 1500m at the world championships in Osaka.
All going well, Willis will be on the track for Wednesday's final, in the process ripping a sizeable monkey off his back.
After winning the Commonwealth Games gold medal on an exhilarating night in Melbourne last year, Willis' career has stuttered.
Twice in a week he turned in sparkling 3m 32s times in Paris and Athens, his 3m 32.17s in Paris his personal best. Things were looking good.
"I had high goals of 3m 30s/3m 29s after the Commonwealth Games," he told the Herald yesterday.
"Unfortunately I had to return to the United States for five weeks because the European championships were on.
"Basically it was a break from the season when I had hit my top form. I was doing some fantastic workouts but by the time I returned to Europe in August I'd run out of steam."
Then came the leg injuries, and Willis was sidelined from Christmas to mid-March. And with that break, he missed the critical base-work that provides the foundation.
Using the glass-half-full theory, he's also fresher for the break.
There was one notable performance in May, posting a world championship and Beijing Olympic A qualifying standard in Los Angeles with a 3m 35.85s, his best of the year, which boosted his confidence.
Having got that requirement out of the way, and with little base to work from, Willis didn't want to risk burning out.
So although he has not raced for 11 weeks, he's been stiffening his endurance and spending time in the weight room in the past few weeks.
It's a different approach, which has been forced on him to a degree, and he knows "it's not going to take much for me to run out of juice". But Willis is feeling good - and especially as he's shaken off an infection of a couple of weeks ago - mirroring a potentially ruinous bug he picked up shortly before running in Melbourne last year.
There are two ways of looking at Willis' situation: he's either arrived in Osaka a shade underdone, certainly on past years, or he's fit to bust and daisy fresh. "Although I may be one or two races slightly shy of the absolute ideal, given the circumstances I'm very pleased with my decision.
"You want a balance between races under your belt, but also feeling antsy about getting out there and getting back into it."
Willis took four days off training and needed four more to get back into the swing of things after his infection. Now he has "hit the track hard, and I feel fast and snappy".
Willis, who bought a house in his long-term American base at Ann Arbor, Michigan, six weeks ago and who marries Sierra Boucher on September 30, badly wants to be in Wednesday's final.
He missed the finals of the Athens Olympics in 2004 and the following year's world champs. That's where the monkey comes in. Beijing is lurking in the back of his mind.
"If I do make it [the final] it will take away that area of it being somewhat unknown for Beijing. Hopefully I won't be thinking about the semifinal there; I'll just think about how I will race the final.
"It's much like Roger Bannister and the sub-four-minute mile. [After Bannister] everybody broke through it. The floodgates were open. For me it's been agonisingly close at both the worlds and Olympics."
And Willis hopes striding alongside the world's finest next week will push him up the next rung a year out from Beijing.
"There's a very small amount that needs to be done to bridge the gap, but that small amount is so hard to attain."
To be a medal chance, he must be in the final. To be in the final, Willis must perform in the heats and semifinals. It's a series of steps.
Willis remembers a time this year when "it was hard to imagine running without pain".
"I went through an emotional rollercoaster during that period. I had to take baby steps, set miniature goals to reach the other ones.
"And it's amazing I've reached this point before the world champs and having a lot of confidence, considering where I was back in March and April."
Willis is one of 10 New Zealanders who are in action in Osaka. Six have already put up qualifying performances for Beijing.
Flying our flag at Osaka
Valerie Vili (Shot Put)
NZ Olympic A qualifying standard: 18.35m.
Personal best: 20.2m.
World ranking: 2.
She's thrown the third best mark of the year, 20.03m. The Olympic standard is a doddle. Big chance of podium place, possibly at the top.
Beatrice Faumuina (Discus)
Olympic standard: 61m.
Personal best: 68.52m.
World ranking: 19.
A year best of 62.2m last February. Has had three throws of more than 60m this year.
Nina Rillstone (Marathon)
Olympic standard: 2h 33m.
PB: 2h 29m 46s.
World ranking: 49.
Did her best time in her first marathon at Nagano last year, finishing third. Ran 2h 31m 19s in New York last November and broke national half- marathon record in New York on August 5.
Kimberley Smith (10,000m)
Olympic standard: 31m 45s.
PB: 31m 20.63s.
World ranking: 7.
Has set national records this year for 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m. Ran her PB at Stanford last April, 20s inside the Osaka qualifying requirement. Could be big mover in tonight's final.
Nick Willis (1500m)
Olympic standard: 3m 36.60s.
PB: 3m 32.17s.
World ranking: 35.
The Commonwealth champ put up 3m 35.85s in Los Angeles in May in his best of the year, but twice did 3m 32s in July last year. Different training regime this year, partly due to injuries. Will be fresher than usual.
Gareth Hyett (1500m)
Olympic standard: 3m 36.60s.
PB: 3m 38.63.
World ranking: 45.
Former national 800m champion, who ran just under the world championships 1500m B standard in clocking 3m 38.89s at Huesden, Belgium, last month. A late inclusion for Osaka.
Stuart Farquhar (Javelin)
Olympic standard: 81.8m.
PB: 81.7m.
World ranking: 43.
Threw his PB to qualify by 0.7m early last year. Best this year is 77.65m, at Cairns this month.
James Dolphin (200m)
Olympic standard: 20.59s.
PB: 20.60s.
World ranking: Not in top 50
Turned in 20.76s in Brussels this month, his best this year. Half a blink from doing the Olympic requirement.
Michael Aish (10,000m)
Olympic standard: 27m 50s.
PB: 27m 46.37s
World ranking: Not in top 50
Just over 2s inside Osaka qualifying mark with 27m 46.37s in April. Must shake tag of perennial tailender at the big events.
Tony Sargisson (50km walk)
Olympic standard: 3m 57s.
PB: 3m 58.5s.
World ranking: Not in top 50.
He'll fancy his chances of putting up the NZOC standard.
