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Olympic Champion Romero gets help from Hall

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Olympic champion, Rebecca Romero visited Loughborough earlier this week to meet triathlon’s youngest Olympic team member, Lucy Hall. Romero exchanged Olympic tips for some help with her swimming ahead of competing in Ironman UK later this month.

Lucy Hall, who is now training in Bridgend with fellow Team GB members Helen Jenkins and Vicky Holland said: “It’s brilliant to get to meet an Olympian and a gold medallist as well!”
 
Romero, 32, famously won Olympic gold in Beijing’s velodrome in 2008 having previously won rowing silver in 2004. She is now competing in triathlon, but confesses to finding the swim very daunting.
 
She is set to race Ironman UK in Bolton on 22 July and received coaching from Hall as well as high performance swim coach, Alan Rapley.
 
She said: “I was really nervous as it’s the first time I’ve had my swim technique analysed, and had any real coaching. I could have been told I was really awful and there was no hope.
 
“It’s a big confidence boost being told that I’ve got the fundamentals of the stroke, and that there’s a lot that can be done to get a lot more improvement is really good. 
 
“To see someone as good as Lucy, and to get pointers from one of the best triathlon swimmers is really useful.”
 
Rebecca’s aim for Ironman UK is to, “get through it and complete it. I want to get to the start line having survived the training, and get there in ok shape. Having a reasonable swim time will put me in a good position to go on to the bike and the run.
 
“I’m getting to seven months down the line having trained to get through the Ironman distance. That’s a massive challenge and a massive ask, and I’ve been cutting corners to be able to do that.” 
 
Looking ahead to the London 2012 Olympic Games, Rebecca had tips for Lucy as she prepares for her first Games.
 
She said: “The intensity of it isn’t going to go away. There is going to be the nerves and the pressure and the stress, and it’s almost making sure you harness it in a positive way and don’t let it become a negative.
 
“(She should) start thinking, imagining what it will be like, the more you imagine the scenario, the more that it becomes automatic and you’ve dealt with it before. Think about the unexpected, prepare for the unexpected, and if you’ve been through it in your head you’re better equipped to deal with it if it does come along.”
 
She added: “The most important thing is just trust in your ability and your performances that you’ve had to get you that far. If you’ve put the groundwork in and you’ve done everything that you can, not to be afraid of getting up there and doing a performance, it shouldn’t be scary; this is the most exciting time.
 
“Now is your time to show what you can do. It’s the time when you’re going to come into the best form of your life and it’s a showcase and you can show everyone what you can do.”
 
Rebecca will be an avid supporter of the free-to-view triathlon events on Saturday 4 and Tuesday 7 August. She said: “I remember being in Athens competing and after I’d finished I got a ticket to the triathlon. Definitely now that it’s my new sport I’ve got a lot more interest in it and it’s looking really exciting for the GB athletes, and hopefully there are a few medals there!”
 
Lucy is now training in Bridgend, making her final preparations for August 4 in Hyde Park. She said: “I’m off to Bridgend now. I’m there for a few weeks, team bonding with Vicky and Helen. The aim is to get to know each other a bit better and really bond as a team. 
 
She added: “I’m really pleased with how training is going and I raced at the weekend in France, and I’m really happy with the result and how I felt. It’s made me more confident in what I can do on 4th August.”
 
Remember, you can watch the women’s and men’s Olympic triathlon races free of charge in Hyde Park. Visit http://www.britishtriathlon.org/london-2012 to find out how. You can also watch at Triathlon Live venues at eight city-centre big screens around the UK. You can also follow the action on Twitter @Brittri and join the conversation at #triathlon during the London 2012 Olympic Games.
 

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