Victoria Pendleton, Women's Sprint World Champion and one of Britain's brightest hopes for a medal on the boards, on the agony and excitement of the sprint: "you only have one chance. You can't afford to make one mistake. It's not a nice feeling. It's a very, very tight focus, sometimes it can be very subtle. It's like fencing. You are in an arena, waiting for the moment to attack: an eye movement, a change of grip on the bars, fingers flexing, one foot being back, small subtle things. And you are doing it in an environment of adrenaline-pumping intensity. It's very mental, very, very mental. One mistake and it's over. You are waiting to be shot down. It's an awful event. You could be the fastest on paper and go out in the first round. I like winning but I take a lot of punishment in the process." To read the rest of her interesting and insightful interview, go to The Guardian page here. Follow her progress at the Olympics, starting on Aug 16 at 11:05 PM ET, in the Women's Sprint qualification round.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Victoria Pendleton on Track Sprinting
Victoria Pendleton, Women's Sprint World Champion and one of Britain's brightest hopes for a medal on the boards, on the agony and excitement of the sprint: "you only have one chance. You can't afford to make one mistake. It's not a nice feeling. It's a very, very tight focus, sometimes it can be very subtle. It's like fencing. You are in an arena, waiting for the moment to attack: an eye movement, a change of grip on the bars, fingers flexing, one foot being back, small subtle things. And you are doing it in an environment of adrenaline-pumping intensity. It's very mental, very, very mental. One mistake and it's over. You are waiting to be shot down. It's an awful event. You could be the fastest on paper and go out in the first round. I like winning but I take a lot of punishment in the process." To read the rest of her interesting and insightful interview, go to The Guardian page here. Follow her progress at the Olympics, starting on Aug 16 at 11:05 PM ET, in the Women's Sprint qualification round.
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2 comments:
I am super excited for her and all of the other track races lined up this year for the Olympics. And judging by her track record (puns!) on Wikipedia she definitely shows a lot of promise. Go Pendleton!
Thanks for posting this, I have to admit a pretty face makes me more likely to enjoy watching cyclists make left turns.
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