Iain Roberts is an honorary Scotsman – he has been living in Edinburgh for most of his adult life.  But this month, at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada, he will don the famous fern crest of New Zealand as he bids to win gold in that most death-defying of events, bob skeleton.

In The Winning Zone profiled Iain just over a year ago (see link on right) and now we ra eback to hear how his career has progressed in the build-up to his Olympic dream – about to become a reality.

Here’s what Iain had to tell us...

“It has been a really long season, and nonstop trying to secure qualification.  It feels like I haven't been able to switch off at all, and every step of the way there seemed to be more and more hurdles to clear...but I got there! 

“I needed a total of seven results between October and February, the combined total would determine if I had qualified. 

“The season started terribly.  In pre-season training I took a bang to the ribs and hand on the new Olympic track in Whistler.  This took a while to fully recover and definitely affected my first World Cup in Park City. 

“Then, just as I was back to full fitness for the next World Cup in Lake Placid, one of my race runners broke!  With the new rules of runner testing I didn't have any suitable alternatives, and much like tyres on a car, the wrong runners for the ice conditions are VERY SLOW.

“So, two races in and things weren't looking good, I headed back to Park City for three Americas Cup races.  It was a lower level racing circuit, so less valuable in terms of qualification, but a good Americas Cup result could make up for the poor World Cup results.  Things went to plan, I finished 8th, 6th and 3rd!

“Now in full fitness and with equipment issues solved, I headed back to the World Cup circuit.  I had never finished inside the top 20 of the World Cup and I knew if I was to have a serious chance of qualifying for the Games, I would need to break into the main field. 

“My time came in Konigssee (Germany), after run 1.  I couldn't fully believe the clock, I was in 16th, only 0.05 seconds behind 14th but only 0.08 seconds ahead of 18th.  My second run was actually faster with a new best time, but the combined two run race result placed me 18th, only 0.01 seconds behind 17th and 0.06 seconds behind 16th.  That's how close the races get and I was determined to go faster in the next race.

“Next stop St Moritz, which has to be one of the best tracks, it is the only one to be carved entirely out of ice every winter.  The result is it is smooth and fast!  I had a great first run...placing me 12th!  I made a small error in a crucial part of the track on run 2 and ended up 21st. 

“I was obviously disappointed, but then it sunk in that only two weeks earlier I was struggling to get into the top 20, and 21st would be a good result.  Now I am filled with confidence after having a 12th position which helped qualify me for the Olympics, and with the Olympics being over a combined four run race, hey the bar has been raised!

“I am now back in Park City for some final preparations for the Olympics.   At this stage to fully prepare I am trying to get as much ‘on ice’ practice as possible, which is expensive at £20 a run... that lasts only 1minute. 

“I also play guitar and as a last ditch fundraiser to help improve my chances at the Olympics I have some MP3s to download from http://indiestore.7digital.com/iainroberts/

“They were actually recorded in a music shop in Park City back in December when I was a bit worried about the condition of my hand and had some song ideas bouncing round my head I wanted to record.  Hoping to get a full band together over the summer...but that's another story. 

“Right now it's all about the OLYMPICS!”

Iain

Follow Iain on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=399486860410

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