Open water swimmer Keri-Anne Payne targets gold at Rio 2016 Olympics
Last Updated: 03/06/15 1:13pm
Olympic silver medallist Keri-Anne Payne hopes the support she has received in the absence of Team GB funding can propel her to the gold medal at Rio 2016.
Payne, who finished second in the inaugural 10km open water swim at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, lost financial assistance when she decided to take a break from the sport after almost 18 years in active competition.
But the South African-born swimmer has now made a successful return to action and has already secured her place at the World Championships in Russia.
“The Scottish Institute of sport and Scottish Swimming have been amazing,” she told Sky Sports News HQ.
“It’s not just about the money that funding brings to help with training costs and living costs. It’s everything else like having doctors and physios on hand, nutritionists and sports scientists. That’s the kind of stuff I was really missing, having access to those sorts of things.
“I would love to win another Olympic medal and I would certainly love to make that a gold one.
"So what we have been doing throughout the last two years, and for the next year leading up to that, will be to make sure that I am an all-round open water swimmer and I’ve done everything I can to try and achieve that goal of being Olympic champion."
