CROSS COUNTRY: Esther Bottomley is on the verge of making history as she prepares for her third consecutive Olympic Winter Games at Sochi in 2014.

Bottomley is already a dual-Olympian having competed at Torino 2006 and Vancouver 2010 and hopes to qualify for the 10km classic and the 1.5km freestyle events which would make her the only female Australian cross country skier to have competed in three Games. Only one Australian man, Anthony Evans, has completed this feat (1992-1998) after the timing of the Winter Games was changed allowing him to compete in three Games in the space of six years. 

Bottomley is no stranger to making history, in 2006 Bottomley and her teammate Clare-Louise Brumley became the first Australian women to compete in cross country in 26 years.
 
“I’m excited about the prospect of getting to compete in another Games, it would be great to get another chance to see what I can do at that level of competition. Making history would be kind of a nice bonus,” said Bottomley from her hometown and Australian training base Mount Beauty, Victoria.
“But more so I’m looking forward to seeing the next generation of strong female juniors come through to boost the number of woman competing for Australia in cross country skiing at the Winter Olympics,” she added.

Bottomley has been training in Australia since June. Before the snow arrived Bottomley’s training revolved around dry land exercises, but now she is on snow six days a week at Falls Creek and all the hard work is paying off with impressive results at the Australian Nationals during the last week of July - Bottomley finishing first in both the 5km classic and freestyle sprint events.

“Preparation for the Games is going really well at the moment. So far I’ve managed to stay healthy. I’m focused on training hard through our season in preparation for the International season. The skiing at Falls Creek has been great and the warm July has meant I’ve been able to throw in some really good quality dry land sessions too.”

At 30 years of age Bottomley plans to limit the number of World Cup Events she competes in next season in order to focus more on the enjoyment of the sport.

“With 15 years of back to back winters and hard training under my belt this season my main aim is to be fit, healthy and most importantly happy going into the major races, which generally equates to racing well,” she said.

Thinking about the upcoming 2014 Sochi Winter Games, Bottomley recalls walking into the Opening Ceremony with the Australian team in Torino as “a feeling and memory I will never forget.”

Drawing on her experience, Bottomley’s approach to Sochi is both measured and intelligent.

“I’ve learnt to take the pressure off and not focus on a result based goal. The pressure you put on yourself to have the perfect race doesn’t need to be there or help achieve your best. The Olympics is a very special experience that for me isn’t just four years of training, it’s been over half my life of hard training, dedication and great experiences. It would be great to have a result that you can be really happy with, but in the end you give your best and your friends and family are still there supporting you. Years down the track it is the experience as a whole that you remember.”

The Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games will take place from 7 – 23 February in Russia. The Cross country skiing events will be held at the Cross Country Ski and Biathlon Centre located on the Psekhako Ridge.

Tim Wakeling
olympics.com.au
@AUSOlympicTeam