ATHLETICS: With the athletics kicking off on Day 4 of the second summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG), the athletes are hoping to fit in as many training sessions as possible.
The Australian Youth Olympic Team (AYOT) landed in Nanjing during the early hours of Thursday morning and have been taking in the sights and sounds of the Youth Olympic Village (YOV).
While all athletes are busy meeting fellow competitors the time has come to look to competition. The athletics athletes are organising to check out their competition venue and trying to clock as many minutes on the track as they can.
“It was good to be able to get used to the track, seeing where things were at and practicing and getting into the rhythm and routine of things is really important,” sprinter Sam Geddes said after the team’s first training session yesterday.
With numerous athletes being a real chance for gold at the YOG, every bit of training is crucial. The slightest edge could mean the difference between silver and gold.
“We’re training often but it’s high intensity low volume, so we’re not working extremely hard, but with quality,” Geddes said.
During their first session on the track, the athletes experienced China’s intense heat and humidity, a challenge they will learn to manage.
“Training outside and walking around, you’re going to get it no matter what. But it should be fine... Drink heaps of water and stay in shade as much as possible,” 400m runner Jessica Thornton advised.
“Don’t go too hard I guess, take things slowly and conserve your energy. Just the little things like keeping hydrated, right clothing, even extending break times is important it’s just a matter of managing it,” Geddes said.
With the Youth Olympic Village playing home to close to 4000 athletes, things can get a little congested sometimes, even on the track. With so many nations with gold in their sights, fighting for training space can be a challenge.
“It was pretty hard, you just have to deal with it, it’s one of those things you just have to do,” said Thornton.
Athletics kicks off on day 4 of the YOG with Men’s high jump, hurdles and 400m and 800m athletes on show.
Sam Rawlings
Olympics.com.au
@AUSOlympicTeam
