 |
Paul Goodison (left) alongside other Olympic hopefuls and Sir Steve Redgrave
|
British sailing champion, Paul Goodison has enlisted the help of Sir Steve Redgrave on his
mission to become Olympic champion next year.
The 25-year-old, currently number one in the International Sailing
Federation laser rankings, is desperate to emulate the success of some
illustrious compatriots in Athens.
"I want to get gold," Goodison told the BBC Sport website.
"Anything else wouldn't necessarily be a disappointment but gold is what I'm aiming for.
"I put so much pressure on myself as my best friends Ben (Ainslie) and
Iain (Percy) both won golds at Sydney, and I don't want to be second
best to them!"
To aid his preparation, Goodison has been selected as one of six British Olympic hopefuls who will be able to turn to Redgrave for advice over
the next year.
"It will be great having Steve Redgrave as a mentor," said Goodison,
speaking at the launch of Team Visa.
"There's nobody better to answer any questions you may have than Steve.
|
Sailing tends to be a rather
isolated event compared to other Olympic sports
|
"It's also going to be really interesting for me to find out about the
other athletes' training regimes, as sailing tends to be a rather
isolated event compared to other Olympic sports."
His fellow hopefuls are track star Daniel Caines, triathlon's Leanda
Cave, cyclist Nicole Cooke, hockey's Richard Mantell and Jonathan
Pollock from the Great Britain wheelchair basketball team.
"I'd imagine training for sailing is very different to training for the
other sports represented here," said Goodison.
"For example, each time Danny Caines trains, he will face similar conditions each time.
"With sailing, you never know if there is going to be any wind or not.
You just have to work with what you've got."
Goodison will be hoping to celebrate the sponsorship with a win in the 2003 Laser National Championships next month.
MMIX
E-mail this to a friend
Printable version
