Hide Seeks Olympic Opportunity

Relaxing amongst his fellow Team GB athletes and hopefuls, exciting British canoeist Tom Hide cuts an energized figure as he ponders the upcoming London 2012 Olympic games. For Tom and his peers, the London games remains the hinge upon which dreams are placed and training is focused.

Hide’s pedigree is unquestionable; he was named the OCS Young Sports Person of the Year in 2007, fully justifying the title by becoming the 2008 Junior World Champion in Tyn, Czech Republic. Emerging as one of foremost juniors in Europe established Hide on both the domestic and world scenes, but Hide appreciates that triumph as a junior will not inevitably translate to success as a senior.

“It’s a big step up actually, a bigger step than I thought from the juniors. The jump really comes in competitions, because it’s only a small gap, but it’s the hardest gap to close. When you are young you can make gains so easily.”

His swift progress towards becoming an elite athlete faced disruption from a recurring back injury that peppered his 2009 season, though Hide has transformed the unsettling influence into a learning experience.

“Any elite sportsperson will go through an injury at some point, it’s just one of the things you have to learn to work around and manage. I think I’ve learned to manage it now by learning how to train properly and work through it. That is the hard bit, and that is the bit that will hopefully take me all the way to the Olympics.

“It’s about knowing when there is a problem and when you need to stop doing something. Doing the right things to stop it from becoming a problem. Things like stretching and working your core muscles, things you don’t think you need to do when you are young and naïve. Things you forget about.

“This is my comeback year in terms of being fit and able to race properly. I need to work towards next year, because that is when I need to be in the team and qualifying.”

Emerging from the juniors as a prospect deemed a “certainty” for the London Games by Olympic gold medalist and team-mate Tim Brabants, the expectation placed upon the young shoulders of Tom Hide is only accentuated by the fact that his first Olympics could be on home turf.� The precedent for Hide’s event was set by Brabants’ sensational gold in the K-1 1000m at the Beijing Olympics, though Hide insists such a benchmark can only breed determination.

“Those of us in the 1000m are all behind Tim, but know we can get to where he is. It’s just about bridging that gap.

“There is pressure, but it’s all about how you take that pressure. I am young and I can only do my best – if that isn’t good enough, then I can’t do anything about it. I want to be an Olympic medalist, but it isn’t going to be easy to get there, and not everyone is going to do it.”

Hide confesses his inspiration to train on cold winter mornings is the prospect of “being a part of something so special that so few people can do”, though he refuses to allow his vision to be obscured by dreams of gold, silver or bronze. Instead, Tom Hide is humbly settling for a place in the squad for now, though such humility is not a mark of weakness. He displays a maturity above and beyond his years, speaking with an honesty and pragmatism that often evades those touted as “Olympic hopefuls”.

“If everything continues as it should from this year into next year, I’ll be gutted not to be part of the team. I see myself as being able to offer a lot.

“If I’m looking to win gold, then probably Rio 2016 will be my best chance to do it,” Hide acknowledges. “I’ll be a little bit older then, but with 2012, we’ve all been forced to buck up our ideas and fast-track ourselves.”

The necessity to “fast-track” has established a British team that are “the best we have ever been in the sport”. The prospect of London 2012 grows an increasingly vivid image in the minds of prospective competitors, despite still lurking some two years away. Undoubtedly, the public ruckus that accompanies any Olympic Games will serve to level the playing field for each and every sport.

“As soon as you put on that Team GB vest, whoever you are – canoeing, rowing, running – no-one cares. The support is going to be huge.”

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Holiday Inn, the Official Hotel Provider to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, is providing free room nights to British athletes to support their preparations over the next two years.

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For more information, visit; www.holidayinn.com.