Olympic Medallists Inspire Young GB Canoeists
09 Jan 2009
Team GB’s Youth Olympic slalom canoeists benefitted today from the advice and inspiration of two British Olympic silver medallists in the shape of Campbell Walsh and David Florence.
Walsh and Florence are at the Regatta Centre in Penrith, scene of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games canoeing competition, to undergo two months of warm weather training. At the same time, Team GB’s four strong group of junior slalom canoeists are putting the final touches to their preparations before competing in the 2009 Australian Youth Olympic Festival (AYOF) which begins on 14th January.
Tom Brady, 17, said “Since we arrived in Sydney on 3rd January we have trained a lot on the whitewater, getting used to the course as well as gym based sessions. It feels like the jet lag has passed. During the first few days the afternoon training sessions felt really tiring but now we’re used to it.” Brady can’t wait for the competition to begin, “I’m really confident going into the race. We‘re racing against China, Australia and New Zealand among others, but China are likely to be the main competition.”
Claire Kimberley, also 17 is the only female Team GB slalom paddler in Sydney, “It was really good getting away from our usual training base in Nottingham where it was really cold,” she says. “I watched the performances in Beijing and thought it was really inspiring.”
At 16 years-old, Matthew Lister from Leeds is the youngest member of the slalom canoeing squad. He says “I’m looking forward to the Opening Ceremony and to experiencing all the Olympic elements of the Youth Festival.”
Welshman Rhys Davies, 17, completes the line up, having qualified for AYOF team via a top-ten placing at the recent European Junior Championships.
Coach Craig Morris is happy with the preparations so far, “The guys are all in good shape. The temperature change has been a big shock, it is over forty degrees hotter here than in the UK. The athletes have coped with it well and now the jet lag is subsiding they’re starting to hit some good form in the water.”
Morris is also pleased with the Olympic venue, “It is a fantastic course to play on over here. We currently don’t have any whitewater on our home course in Nottingham as it is being renovated, so it is great to get over here and compete on a world class course.”
Athens 2004 Olympic silver medallist Campbell Walsh encouraged the junior athletes to make the most of the experience, “Being part of a Youth Olympic team and meeting athletes from other sports was something I never got the opportunity to do. It would have been a fantastic experience as during my first Olympics in Athens, aged 25, I had never experienced the multi-sport environment. It is different and it is exciting and very nice to be part of. They’ve got a fantastic opportunity to be here and do that.”
Walsh kept his words of advice simple, “Go fast and don’t hit the poles!”
David Florence, Beijing 2008 Olympic silver medallist, explained the senior canoeists presence in Sydney, “We’ve come out to train for a couple of months as it’s a bit cold to get decent training in at home and there’s a top venue and great weather out here.”
He is looking forward to cheering on the British athletes in their competition next week, “I will definitely be watching the guys in action, it is great to be out here to be able to support out juniors. Hopefully they’ll put in some good races and it’ll be great to see. They seem to be paddling well out here. We’ve got some good guys including Tom Brady who medalled at the recent Junior World Championships.”
All four of the young athletes agreed that participating in the 2009 AYOF is great preparation for London 2012 when they will be aiming to go one better than Walsh and Florence by claiming Team GB’s first canoe slalom gold medal.
For further information including athlete interviews please contact Becki Middleton in Sydney on 00 61 44927962 or Phil Wilkinson on 00 61 424 229971.
You will be able keep up to date with the latest news and results from Australia on the BOA website: www.olympics.org.uk/ayof09