The Daily Telegraph - 24.07.2019

6 *** Wednesday 24 July 2019 The Daily Telegraph

Tokyo 2020 One Year To Go

THIS YEAR WILL

BE HELL – AND

I CANNOT WAIT

I

am not sure Stephen Hawking

ever studied it, but maybe he

should have done: when you

are preparing for the Olympics,

time becomes a flexible

concept. There is no doubt that

when you see we are just a year

away, time puts its foot down on

the accelerator. Suddenly, that

announcement makes it clear it

really is not far away. Up to now,

you could kid yourself you have

got a cushion. But from hereon in,

every single day is bringing it

closer. So every single day has to be

perfect.

Four years ago, I was winning

and everything felt right. I would

never say I knew I was going to be

Olympic champion, but I believed I

was in the best possible position. If

I am being honest, it is not like that

this time. I still hope, I still believe

my levels are getting higher. But I

know I have got a long way to go.

The work starts here. We are just

off to Silvretta lake in the Austrian

Alps for a training camp that is

renowned in British rowing. This is

where the British get stronger

ahead of the Olympics. When I first

went there, we stayed in huts, and I

can tell you it was miserable: there

was no way you could dry your kit;

you had to share a double bed,

which was always too small.

Then there is the weather. It can

turn biblical: you get four seasons

in a day. At the last Olympics, we

were there in June and a foot of

snow fell. I have had some of my

darkest moments there, been

miserable, not talking to crew-

mates, a right grumpy so-and-so.

But boy, I love the place. Even in

the depths of misery, some of my

best memories were made there.

The new lads have lucked out

for their first-ever Silvretta: they

are staying in a hotel, living the

plush life. I know it is helpful to

pass on experience, but, if I am

honest, I am wary of telling them

how things used to be. It can get a

bit Monty Python: in my day, you

were lucky to get a bed you could

fit into. Though that is also true.

And the best thing about the

camp? There is nothing to do

except train. In the evening, we

might do a quiz. But that is it. I am

the athletes’ rep and it falls on me

to organise the social activity. But

if I am too tired, I will forget.

Anyhow, there are no nights out.

We are in the middle of nowhere.

Rower Moe Sbihi reveals how brutal

training camps and deep data dives

are driving him to try to win gold again

l

ain

Clarke took six

months away

from the sport

after Rio but he

won the first leg

of the World Cup

in Lee Valley this

June, virtually

guaranteeing

selection for

To kyo.

JOE

CLARKE

Men’s K1

Adams delayed

turning

professional to

win a second

Olympic gold in

Rio, but has now

given up her

amateur status.

Her pro record

reads: fought five,

won five.

NICOLA

ADAMS

Women’s

flyweight

Heath did not race

for a year after the

birth of his

daughter in 2017,

but looks well

placed to retain

his Olympic title

after winning

World Cup events

in Poznan and

Szeged.

Kenny ‘retired’

after the Rio

Games, but

returned a year

later after a

change of heart.

If he wins sprint

gold at next

year’s World

Champioships, he

could go for an

Olympic hat-trick

in the event. He

typically peaks in

Olympic year,

hence his six gold

medals.

The squad has a

new younger

flavour, as Jack

Carlin, Ryan

Owens and Joe

Truman have

joined Philip

Hindes and Jason

Kenny to contend

for places. But

the team lost in

the quarter-finals

at the World

Championships.

The only change

from the squad of

2016 is Ellie

Dickinson after

Joanna Rowsell

Shand retired.

They will be in

contention for

gold, having

finished second

in the Worlds by

two-tenths of a

second. Emily

Nelson and Neah

Evans are also in

contention.

Ed Clancy has

been joined by

Ethan Hayter,

Kian Emadi,

Charlie Tanfield

and Oliver Wood.

Well beaten by

Australia in the

recent Worlds but

they tend to

close the gap in

Olympic years.

LIAM

HEATH

JA SON

KENNY

MEN’S TEAM SPRINT WOMEN’S TEAM PURSUIT MEN’S

TEAM

Men’s K1 PURSUIT

200m

Men’s sprint

and keirin

CAN RIO GOLD

MEDALLISTS

DELIVER AGAIN?

AthleticsAthletics

5,000m,

10,000m

MO FAR AH

Boxing

Canoeing

Farah will be

competing in

Tokyo, but his

event is

undecided. He had speculated

about returning to the track

but, in May, conceded that he

would probably focus on the

marathon.

Britain’s most successful

female Olympian is expected

to be selected for the omnium

despite the challenge of Katie

Archibald. However, she will

have to adapt to an event now

made up of four elements in

a single day, rather than six

spread over two.

Women’s

omnium

LAURA

KENNY

Cycling

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