Kelsey-Lee Barber will step back from the domestic circuit to optimise her Tokyo Olympics preparation among the best javelin throwers the world.
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The Canberran will compete in only two events in Australia before intensifying her Olympic pre-season in the Diamond League.
Barber knows the the blueprint for success as she sets her sights on Tokyo, where she will be Australia's leading gold-medal hope in the track and field program.
She spent three months in Europe with husband and coach Mike last year, culminating in a personal best of 67.7 metres in Switzerland before winning her first world title in Doha.
The 28-year-old has thrown six Olympic qualifiers since August, staking her claim as a medal contender in Tokyo.
There are six women's javelin meets on the Diamond League program this year, which will again form the cornerstone of her Olympic Games preparation.
"I think the competition aspect is really important. There's elements of my competition routine I still want to nail and have full confidence going into Tokyo," Barber said.
"The domestic season is probably less of a priority because I have qualified and last year it was so long.
"I've taken the opportunity to do some training off the back end of that, but the European season will be really important.
"I'm looking to get in as many Diamond League competitions as possible because they're the girls I'll hopefully be in the finals with in Tokyo."
Barber will compete in the Queensland Track Classic on March 20 before heading to Sydney the following week for the national titles.
She'll then open her Diamond League season in May with two meets in China, but the competitions are at risk of being cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.
"We're still waiting to heat what they decide about that," Barber said.
"It's completely out of my hands. I'll go with whatever the schedule offers and then there's meets in Europe to go to anyway."
The European leg of the Diamond League has four women's javelin meets before the Olympics begin in late July, including Rome, Eugene, Paris and London.
Barber will put the final touches to her Olympic preparation at the Australian training facility in Italy.
Her program is following a similar trajectory to last year's build up to the world championships, throwing career-best distances and announcing herself as a genuine medal contender.
The mirrored schedule has been put in place to ensure she can peak at the right time: the Olympics final.
"We don't overthink it too much. We always try to be in a position where if I have to, I can come out and throw over 60 metres," Barber said.
"We never get too far away from that. As we get closer to a major championship, that's when we fine tune everything. I still want to be throwing far during those competitions, and then we'll taper it in and finely tune for Tokyo."
