Looking back at 2011

Date added: Tuesday 10th January 2012

Team Gregory starts the New Year in good shape with some notable success and despite some unlucky setbacks during 2011 for the five Westcountry athletes with real Olympic aspirations.

UK No 1 ladies pistol shooter ‘Gorgs' Geikie has had plenty of ups and downs during 2010/11.  A pair of bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games in October 2010 was a high but was followed by being taken off UK Sports World Class Performance Programme thereby losing her funding, the unexpected resignation of the Performance Manager of British Shooting (and Gorgs' coach) and the disintegration of her competition air pistol.

As a result, Gorgs started 2011 with no money, no coach, no gun and only 18 months until the London Olympics!

Resilient as ever, Gorgs has bounced back and has now achieved the British Olympic Association standard required for ‘Host Nation Quota Place' selection and has since won the second of the three quota places available. Sadly, being the first British Pistol shooter to have ever won an Olympic Quota place is still not enough to get Gorgs her central funding back.

Cornwall based 800m runner Jemma Simpson has also had a difficult year which was dogged by injury, causing her funding from UK Athletics to be withdrawn. She has said that her build up to the Olympics will not change drastically but her support system will have to. Nevertheless, she has been buoyed by an overwhelming wave of support and fund-raising by the Cornish community who will always strive to support one of their own.

Supporters are quick to point out that Dame Kelly Holmes came back from injury to win double gold and Jemma's age (28 next month) should be no barrier as at the last two Olympic Games and two World Championships 20 of the 32 finalist were 28 or over.

Olympic Modern Pentathlete Heather Fell suffered a loss of form in 2011 but with the spirit and conviction shown by all the Team Gregory members, she finished the year on a real high by winning the senior title at the British Championships held at the University of Bath. Heather, the Beijing 2008 silver medallist and former world number one, topped the senior rankings in the fence and combined event and also went clear in the ride. Never write off a champion who has been there and done it - Heather is on the comeback trail!

Former RS:X World Windsurfing Champion Nick Dempsey is also on course for his Olympic podium ambitions. Having won bronze in 2004 and a 4th place in 2008, Nick has since won the 2009 RS:X World Championships in front of his home crowd in Weymouth in 2009 and then repeated the victory at the 2011 Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta.  In September 2011, he became one of the very first British athletes to be selected to represent Great Britain at London 2012.

Exeter's World 50m backstroke World Champion, Liam Tancock, enjoyed an exceptional year in 2011 retaining his world title and winning his fifth world medal since his debut in 2005.  He also became BBC South West Sportsman of the Year in 2011. The pressure will undoubtedly be on Liam come the end of July when the Olympic swimming events commence.

However, it is evident that the ambitions of Liam and his Team Gregory colleagues are underpinned by their personal experiences, sacrifices, challenges, training, commitment, mental toughness and integrity for each of them to maximize their potential - and we all hope that means Gold!