TAYLOR FOCUSED ON KEEPING OLYMPIC DREAM ALIVE
Olympic silver medallist Leon Taylor's preparations to date
for the Beijing Games may not have gone exactly as the coach's
manual dictates but he is as motivated and assured as ever
that he will be back among the best by August.
The Cheltenham-born diver who, while alongside 10m synchro
partner Peter Waterfield, delivered Britain's first medal
of the 2004 Olympic Games, has suffered a catalogue of injuries
since a World Championship medal in 2005 but he's lost none
of his focus on success at the Beijing Olympics.
With the emergence of young diving talent Tom Daley and partner
Blake Aldridge, and with Waterfield in impressive form, Taylor
will face unprecedented competition within Britain for an
Olympic place but he is taking his year step by step with
his first contest being to overcome surgery to repair a hernia.
"The operation took place in Munich in the middle of
January," explained Taylor. "I chose Germany because
it was the least invasive and had a quicker recovery time.
Given the fact it's an Olympic year this was an important
factor.
"The surgeon came highly recommended with a host of Premier
League footballers such as Michael Owen having undergone the
same treatment with a lot of success."
Taylor's list of injuries is a long one but in October of
last year he showed he was over a long-term shoulder condition
when he finally hit the kind of form he showed in 2004 and
2005 where international success was a constant.
A minor back issue saw Taylor having to apply the breaks once
again to his Olympic preparation and then just as it seemed
he could finally return his attention to the 10m platform
the City of Sheffield diver herniated leaving no option but
surgery.
"I've had my fair share of injuries and in the scheme
of things this was quite minor but it was incredibly debilitating,"
said Taylor.
"I was able to walk around and get about with some discomfort
but I just couldn't live with it while diving. I'd tried for
several weeks and it didn't work which is when I decided I
had to go under the knife.
"The procedure went very well and within two weeks I
was back to a basic level of training. Since then a nerve
has been aggravated, which is common in cases like mine, so
I've hit a bit of a plateau in my recovery.
"I'm training off the 10m platform again but I'm limiting
myself to simple routines while I wait for the nerve to calm
down. If it continues then I'll look to an injection when
I return to Britain to rectify the situation."
Taylor is a constant cacophony of noise on the British Diving
benches at this week's World Cup in Beijing where the squad
is looking to qualify Britain for Olympic places.
And he is definitely backing his team mates all the way, despite
the fact he can't compete, by leading the support with a cheer
that is in no danger of being lost within the gargantuan surrounds
of the Olympic Water Cube.
"Our guys here need all the assistance they can get as
they try to qualify Britain for the Olympics and I wanted
to be a support for them in any way I could," said Taylor.
"I'm training but unable to compete here but it was important
for me to come," said Taylor. "I needed to experience
the sights, sounds, touch and smell of the Olympic pool. It's
a vital element of my recovery and Olympic motivation."
While cheering on his British team mates, Taylor knows that,
if everything goes according to plan, he will be competing
against them in June for selection to those Olympic spots.
It will play out that he will face his good friend and Olympic
partner Waterfield, Aldridge and young Daley who Taylor is
actually mentoring in the lead up to the Olympics.
"My first focus is my recovery but, hopefully with the
places our divers secure, I'll then be fighting for Olympic
selection at the trials in June against some very familiar
faces," said Taylor.
"I've competed with Pete (Waterfield) as well as against
him for many years. We're the closest of friends but when
we go head-to-head there is an instense rivalry between us.
It will be the same this year with all of the British divers,
Tom [Daley] included."
Between now and then Taylor has a lot of work to do but he
is targeting international competition in May when he hopes
to be well along the road to full fitness.
Given such a history of injury over the past three years it's
a testament to Taylor's professionalism and hunger for the
sport that he still possesses the will to succeed.
"Every time you suffer an injury you assess your situation
but deep down you know when the time is right to walk away
from the sport and that time isn't now," explained Taylor.
"I don't want to look back and have any regrets and I'm
confident I can return to the same kind of form that delivered
Olympic and World Championship medals
"The worst thing for me would be to watch the competition
from the stands this summer knowing that I could have been
in there doing my stuff, fighting for a medal.
"I want Olympic success as much as I did when I was a
kid and that is a very motivating factor. The way I see it
is that the easy option has always been to give up but it's
not in my nature."
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