The Olympics are looming. This might have passed many people
by with the European Football Championships stealing the headlines but soon the
attention will be switching to Rio. Stories of elation and gut wrenching
disappointment are flowing in as athletes are informed of either their
selection or omission from the British team.
Close to home in my sport of Modern Pentathlon it has been another
tough decision for selectors in the women’s team as only two of the three
qualified athletes can compete at the Olympics. Having experienced the joy of
selection and disappointment of not making the cut over the course of the
previous two Games I can understand the emotions the athletes will be feeling.
In Modern Pentathlon it was a subjective decision that was made following the
results of two seasons, in other sports it can be much clearer cut and in my
mind far more brutal.
I was delighted to accept an invitation to Birmingham’s
Alexander Stadium for the British Athletics Olympic Trials. The standard of our
athletes in the UK is at an all time high which made for a truly scintillating
day of competition. Team places were on the line and a top two finish inside of
the British qualifying standard guaranteed a place on the plane to Rio. The women’s
two hundred metre final brought home the harsh reality of the cutthroat
selection policy when the top three comfortably dipped for the line inside the
set time. With only a few hundredths of a second separating their positions
there were tears of pure joy next to tears of utter devastation on that podium.
The gold and silver medallists received their TeamGB passes whilst the bronze
athlete was awarded just her medal. Sport can be tough.
