Back in the UK

Shelley and I took an opportunity to come back to the UK today. We were due to stay in Vancouver for the Olympic closing ceremony this coming Sunday. But we felt that we needed to come home for Ella and minimise the time away from her during these Olympics. Our Vancouver experience has finished. Its nice to be home and we are looking forward to establishing a routine. We have been racing since October 3rd and now we are yearning for simple food and a cup of English breakfast tea :)

Since my last blog lots of thoughts have been running through my mind about lots of things. I have looked at my race times and considered how I could have moved up the ranking to come home with a medal. I had returned back to the best physical form of my career. I had two world cup podiums this season. In the races before the Olympics I had some of the top sliding speeds on all tracks. All this was evidence that I was in a position to race for medals. But my experiences from three Olympic Winter Games has taught me that the Olympics are not like any world cup or world championship race. It is governed by a very different set of dynamics. These factors, for example - limited track access, make the Olympic race a completely different proposition to win than a world cup. I am not making excuses, but i feel its important to highlight the fact that form going into an Olympic games does not guarantee results. Being judged on this one race in four years is not in my opinion a true reflection of a Skeleton athlete's career. It is what it is, a reflection of the Olympic race, which unfortunately is the one race every four years that the majority of the British public see. All Skeleton athletes understand this, yet we all still stand on that start line with hope that we will overcome any hurdle that is presented to us. That's the nature of the beast. So I will dissect my race performance and look at how to improve the controllable factors of my race. But I must also appreciate that there are uncontrollable factors that also play a large part in Skeleton racing and I have to accept this.

At the very least, my three Olympics have given me an amazing experience of the dynamics of sport and people, the critical roles of innovation & technology and the importance of good fortune. The bottom line is, I am gutted not to win a medal in Vancouver, but extremely proud to be a three time Olympian.

KB

Race Reflection

Well its taken me until now to wrestle my emotions and come up for air. The last few days have been very emotional. From a personal perspective I gave everything for this race. I was pleased to be in the mix and I feel very proud to finish 6th given the obvious disadvantages we face as British athletes competing in winter sport. However 6th was never my goal. I race to win and that Olympic medal remains elusive and life goes on. Racing brings with it very big ups and downs. I have had lots of ups, for example winning the World Championships in 2008 but unfortunately for me these 'ups' have never aligned themselves with the Olympics. I cannot explain how hard it for an athlete to manage the emotions of four years of total focus, dedication and commitment concentrated into four minutes of one event. But when I think about tragedy of the Georgian Luger losing his life last week on the track to pursue his dreams, my own disappointment pales into insignificance. I got a big hug from Shelley and my little girl Ella after the race and this showed me how fortunate I am. Unconditional love is worth its weight in gold.

The road to the games created an amazing journey. The last four years has seen lots of change in my life and all for the better. We have made some amazing friends and colleagues all over the country and world. We have a fantastic position to grow our business on the AMP in Sheffield with an overwhelming amount of local and regional support. My business partners are the best I could ever have hoped for. Guys...you are top banana! Our parents have given everything they could to help us reach this point. They have all been unbelievable. And of course the unwavering dedication of my brother Richard who really has been an unsung hero and deserves much more recognition for the part he has played in the successes of British Skeleton in the last 4 years.

Above all I am really proud of Shelley and how she handled all the pressure on her shoulders. She is an inspirational athlete and mother. Coming into these Olympic games as world number 2, with the expectation of the nation on your shoulders is a very difficult position to be in. I was in a similar position going into Turin 4 years ago. There are so many uncontrollable factors in Skeleton racing. The home nation advantage, the weather, the track and sometimes one needs a bit of luck for it all to click. This is the Olympic enigma! That didn't happen this time. But she did amazing.

Now its time to reflect and the move on to the next stage.

kb

Olympic update

I thought it was about time I added a new blog instead of getting carried away with twitter. I am just about to head to the sliding centre for day two of official training. Yesterday (day 1) was a tense affair as all athletes got to put their stake in the ground and see where they lined up against the other athletes. There has been 3 weeks since the end of the world cup. This is the first time opportunity I have had to slide against the Canadian sliders on this track since the world cup race here over a year ago. It was important, that with only six training runs before the race, I got off to a good start. I was pleased with day one. The track has a different feel about it than last time we were here so it will take all my concentration to tune in. That’s my mission in the next two days. My sled is performing great. All the effort of everyone involved in my technology programme is greatly appreciated. Without that we would not be in a position to challenge for medals. I can’t mention you all here but you know who you are. A big thanks!

Shel and I saw our little girl Ella and our parents this morning. They all came over from the UK yesterday to watch our race later this week. That extra support is very welcome. I cannot tell you how it felt to switch off the ‘race face’ and turn on being a daddy for two hours. A little bit of normality. I did a BBC interview at lunch and now it’s back to business. I slide 8pm tonight. I get back to our village at midnight. Then sleep for 7 hours before heading back up to the track tomorrow morning to make our final 2 runs training. It’s going to be a quick fire two days and the race will be here before I know it.

Fingers crossed! KB

The Games are now officially open

Last night was pretty spectactular. I cannot tell you how amazing it feels to walk out in an Olympic opening ceremony. The event was pretty glitzy. Lots of lights and winter sport themes mixed with Canada's history. Unlike previous games the event was indoors. All athletes had to wear a poncho to stop the soapy foam snow flakes used during some scenes from sinking into our clothes. Fun!

The ceremony was dedicated to the Georgian luger who died from a luge crash earlier in the day. As a fellow slider this trajedy is very tangible. I send my heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, fellow countrymen and lugers. The one minute silence during the ceremoney was felt by all athletes.

Now, after the event I am refocussing and looking forward to heading up to Whistler to get on the ice.

KB

Offically On the Map

Hi all, I am now officially on the map. It's been a long time coming but my new website is finally here. Please be patient with me. I will do my best to grow the content. Cheers KB

www.kristanbromley.com