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Hi,
My name is Dani Samuels and I am an Australian Discus thrower in the pursuit of an Olympic Gold Medal in 2012. It may seem like an easy statement to write but one of the beauties behind these online diary entries it that you will get to see and hear about every bit of detail that goes into trying to make that statement a reality.
My dream to win in London was etched into my brain when I was 16 years old when I was asked by my coach (Denis Knowles) and my trainer (Hayden Knowles), 'What do you want to achieve in athletics?' Without having previously thought about it much my answer was 'win an Olympic gold medal'. It was as simple as that, I instantly knew what I wanted to achieve in life, and had now made an eight year goal which I was going to dedicate every moment and aspect of my life to - with plenty of stepping stones, learning curves and fantastic experiences along the way.
Now with London being less than "One Year to Go" it all seems so surreal and exciting at the same time! I do have a pit stop to make this year at the World Championships to be held in Daegu, South Korea. It is very soon and I am defending my title from Berlin in 2009. :)
I started Little Athletics when I was 4 years of age at Holroyd Little Athletics Club (in western Sydney) as my older sister Jamie was in U/6's, and I of course wanted to do what my big sister was doing and compete as well. In U/8s we moved to Greystanes Little Athletics Club and I started training for shot put and discus for a bit of fun, and let's face it whose children don't love throwing stuff? I was no different.
I have been coached by Denis ever since I was 10 and I find it quite amazing really that I have had the opportunity to travel the world doing what I love with a person who is not only one of my best friends but is here solely for me. He always says that 'his life's ambition is to help me with an Olympic gold, and he'll do whatever he can to make that happen'. He loves nothing more (except seeing his grandchildren J) than to see me happy and throwing the distances I want to be. To give you an idea, Denis is 61 years old and drives hearing impaired children to and from school (as does his wife Diane), and would have sacrificed just as much as I have these last few years in order to achieve what we wanted to. When I win medals - its Denis' medal too, and he feels the disappointments just as much as I do aswell. Denis and Diane are currently over in Germany with me helping to prepare for the World Champs in one month's time. Other members of 'The Team' are still at home at the moment but I'm going to introduce you to them as you will be hearing quite a bit about them over the next year - Management and training team: Competitive Edge Aust. Pty. Ltd (and their team Pirtek Athletic Allstars).
With special mentions to -
* Head Coach: Denis Knowles
* Manager/strength and conditioning coach: Hayden Knowles
* T&F Agent: David Tarbotton
* Sport scientist: Dr Anita Sirotic
* Trainer/medical: Craig Catterick
* Boxing trainer: Tama Tehuna
* Gymnastics: Alexandra Lober
* Massage therapist: Westley Le Breaux
* Training partners: Hayley Butler, Jaimee-Lee Starr, Jake Stein (recent World Youth Champion and World Record Holder in Octathlon) and Christie Chamberlain.
* Family: Muma, Jamie, Matt, Casey, Joe my bf (and my labrador Bruce) and all of my girls (who are jealous that I'm in Europe right now!)
* Sponsors: Pirtek, Asics, Pain Away, Musashi, AA, NSWIS
This is my team! Everyone here plays a vital part in my preparation and lifestyle and I try and thank them for it every day. Everybody contributes whether its physical training, mental sharpness or just allowing me to switch off and have fun! These are the people you wish you could break a medal apart and give everybody a piece to (well not Bruce he'd bury it).
Right at this instant I am sitting in my hotel room in Cologne (Germany) planning my day which is rather light compared to yesterday or tomorrow, but consists of gymnastics, skipping and shopping, of course. We have a few more days of training left here in Germany after being here for five weeks, before we have a quick stop in Brussels on Saturday evening for a competition in Ninove. Then we head to Tonbridge (UK) to check out our Olympic preparation camp for next year. I have a feeling being at Tonbridge will evoke a few powerful emotions!
We then head into the village in Daegu, South Korea on the 10th of August to acclimatise. One thing I'm so excited about heading into Daegu is that my training partner Hayley Butler, as of yesterday, has been officially selected in the womens 4x100m relay team! Congratulations to Hayley, she deserves it so much. I have seen the extremely hard work that has been put in the last two years towards her own journey to London, so this is a great bonus!
All in all my preparation is on track for this year and next year in London. I am pumped for the next 3 weeks of training as I will start to freshen up for Daegu and all that will be left to do is incorporate some rhythm and timing in the circle.
Imagine the idea of dedicating every waking hour; your entire lifestyle to be the fastest, strongest, most technically advanced and consistent, and most importantly having the mental strength and focus to be the best in the world for two hours on one day in eight years time! That's what I am training for, except now it is one year's time.
Hope you tune in to watch the Australian Flame compete at the World Champs! We have a lot of medal and top 8 chances this time around and a lot of athletes are in great form already. The competition goes from 27th August – 4th September. I'll try and get back in touch before I compete in Daegu.
Dani
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