Windsurfer Elliot Carney's sees Olympic Games dream revived
by Andrew Gidley
Windsurfer Elliot Carney heads
off to Brazil this weekend ready to begin his quest for Olympic
selection at Rio 2016.
The 23-year-old from Hythe flies off
early on Sunday morning, after deciding to put his building
apprenticeship with Ashford company Epps Construction on hold, in
order to revive his long held dream of winning a place in the Great
Britain squad which looked over earlier this year.
The International Sailing Federation
decided to replace the sport with kiteboarding in May, only to do
an about-turn earlier this month, by which time Elliott was two
months into his studies at Canterbury College.
Now he is ready to swop chilly Kent
for South America for a two-week training trip, to prepare for the
first World Cup event in Miami at the end of January, with the
world championships, also in Brazil in March.
The British No.2 said: "It was
devastating and horrible to think my chance of competing at an
Olympics had gone for ever. Nobody knows why they changed their
mind. It was a shock when the news came through.
"My boss Richard Epps has been great.
I have had to get things back on track quickly. I can’t wait to get
started again."
Carney travels to Brazil with training partner and London 2012
silver medallist Nick Dempsey and coach Barry Edginton, who has
been with him for the last three years. Meanwhile, Elliot’s sister
Claudia, 21, training partner to Bryony Shaw, seventh in the
women’s event in London, also plans to be in Brazil early in the
new year.
29/11/12
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