Talbot's belief
200m runner Danny Talbot tells Sky Sports that the 2012 Olympic Games are only just becoming a reality.
By Emma Bird
Last Updated: 25/02/12 1:37pm
For 200m runner Danny Talbot, the 2012 Olympic Games are only just becoming a plausible reality.
Despite some solid performances over the last couple of seasons, the University of Bath student started to truly believe in his sporting abilities as the 2012 schedule got underway.
With a brilliantly-controlled victory over world bronze medallist Kim Collins at the Aviva International in Glasgow in January, the 20-year-old is now looking ahead to Olympic qualification and beyond.
The young hopeful, who is studying a Sports Performance degree, admits that changes to his training schedule this year have led to vast improvements in his performances.
Burnt out
He told Sky Sports: "I changed quite a few things in training recently. I dropped a session a week, so this year we are doing five instead of six, mainly to ensure my recovery is better than it was last year.
"I think last year, I had a really good indoor season but then when it came to the outdoor season I burnt out towards the end of it and I didn't want that to happen again.
"The change has helped quite a lot as I am not over-training now. I can train as hard as I possibly can without risking injury."
Having gained the Olympic 'A' qualification standard last year, Talbot is under no illusion of what he has to do to cement his place in the Olympic stadium this summer.
He added: "I will have to run the 'A' standard again this year, as well as finish in the top two at the Olympic trials in June.
"If I can run the time needed early on then I can focus on the rest of my training ahead of the trials. I need no motivation, knowing we have a home Games is motivation enough, but it can be hard trying to hold myself back.
"I need to try to avoid injury so know that I need to hold back a bit and keep everything on track- you do not want to get injured now."
Socks
With 2012 so far brimming with newly-discovered talent, Talbot is slowly gaining confidence and believing that his name, once relatively unheard of, will begin to get recognised.
Something he is already fairly well-known for is his superstitious tendencies. The sprinter admits that he always races in the same pair of socks for all his competitions, as well as having used the same set of pins to attach his race number to his kit for the past three years.
Coached by Dan Cossins, he will be hoping that an old school friend's foresight comes true, having told Talbot that he could be at the London Games, after it was announced in 2005 that the capital had won the bid.
"I just shrugged it off at the time and didn't take it seriously, but every year I have seemed to get a step closer to that goal," he said.
"Even at the start of last year I didn't believe it. I have always hoped I would be there but it is only recently that I started to have the belief. It's a bit mental really, I think I am starting to get used to it a bit but I am not sure I ever will."
With the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games having been on Talbot's radar since he began competing professionally, the 2012 event this year is now a tangible dream to add to the wish list.
Talbot concluded: "Realistically, I now want to be competing at the London Games, hopefully make the 200m final, and win a medal in the relay."
As long as he keeps those pins safe and socks intact, there is no doubt that the aspiring Olympian will be one to watch over the coming years.
