Diary
Athens 3rd anniversary update
As I celebrate the 3rd Anniversay of my 2nd Gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games I remember my dear coach Dave Arnold who passed away one year ago on 28th August ironically two years to the day of my win. Even though life moves on I will never forget everything he did for me of course everyone has there ups and downs but he was my main fan and supporter.
Well how time flies. It is now three years since I started my quest for Olympic glory at the Athens Olympics. That was so far the highlight of my life. If you want to read about my Olympic ten days click here to buy my book. Those of you who would like to be reminded of my Olympic victories can watch the video below on this page.
So much has happened since then and it is amazing how things change. On camp with Kelly is going from strength to strength in fact it has been amazing to see the progress of the girls and I really enjoy trying to get the most out of them.
I have recently written a new book ‘Get you kids fit’ it is to try and encourage parents to motivate there kids to be as active as possible. It was great fun writing it and thanks to the Youth Sport Trust for their help with the material for the book.
I am currently working on a number of projects and I am so excited about the prospect of working with and learning about many different areas of work as I believe you never stop learning.
I recently wrote this for a magazine and it probably say a lot about how things were for me as an athlete but also how I think people should think of themselves.
“It is very hard to explain why at the age of 14 I had the belief that I could become an Olympic Champion, but I suppose some things that are inside you can not be explained, like motivation, will power and the determination to succeed. The thing is we all have these qualities inside and it is those that choose to bring them out will be the ones who will probably be the most successful in life.
Life tests you every minute of the day, your values, the way you conduct yourself, the lessons you learn and the many emotions that you go through just to be you.
As an athlete you ride an emotional roller coaster. Riding the highs of achievement and success and the lows of injuries and what you perceive as failure. What has to be decided is how much something means to you.
I kept going through all the many years of injuries and disappointments because I had goals, visions and dreams. I always said that if you’re going to dedicate your life to something, give it 100% commitment, at least then you can say you tried and not live with the regret of…. IF only. I also believed that one day I could be someone to be proud of and that other people may be proud of me too.
My support team at the Olympics Games were key to my success, they knew what I stood for and what was important to me, I had a great relationship with the Physiotherapists who kept my body in one piece, the doctors who made sure my health was at is best, my coach for direction, guidance and confidence , the management team for taking away the pressures of competition, my team mates for their rapport and keeping me focused, my family for their continued support and most of all them all for the belief they had in me.
After all the years of experience I thought I could cope with everything, but never did I need my team as much as I needed them during those 10 days. I was given constant reassurance from my team and they were defiantly instrumental in me achieving my dream.
Sport has brought so many aspects into my life, it taught me who I was, what made me tick, and it gave me confidence, direction and focus. But most of all it helped me to achieve and to realise my full potential as a person. What was the hardest struggle of my life was also the biggest and most beautiful dream come true.”
I hope you all like the site and any suggestion for future additions to the site please email office@doublegold.co.uk
Kelly
Photos Chai von der Laage
Video from YouTube