BANANA BAN FOR SNOWSILL AS OLYMPIC CHAMP SIDESTEPS BABOONS IN STELLENBOSCH
TRIATHLON, March 14: Australia's Olympic triathlon gold medallist Emma Snowsill is back home to start her 2011 competition season after a four month base training camp in Stellenbosch, near Cape Town in South Africa.
Snowsill will race in Australia for the first time in two years when she lines up in what will be a "who's who" of the triathlon world at the ITU World Cup in Mooloolaba (March 26 and 27) before what promises to be a spectacular opening round of the 2011 Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series in Sydney.
And she revealed how she has developed the baboon shuffle as she was forced to sidestep the feisty monkeys on her mountain treks.
"Baboons on the road... that is always an interesting one. That is probably the one time when you didn't want to have a banana in your back pocket when you are running up a mountain," Snowsill revealed in an interview with Ian Hanson.
For the Olympic champion and three-time world champion it will be the first time she will have raced in Sydney, although she has vivid memories of the 2000 Olympics.
"Obviously for me it was one of the first races I ever got to watch was the Sydney Olympics so it is a very special place in my memory," said Snowsill.
"I haven't actually ever had the opportunity to ever compete there but it's something I'm really looking forward to and to kick off the start of a new season it really shows Triathlon is on the map and Sydney (will be) a spectacular host."
Snowsill gives an insight into her training base in South Africa and her prospects for the up-coming season, with a carrot dangling for Australia's London Olympic hopefuls, with an opportunity to snare a berth for the 2012 Games.
Here is a taste the interview as Snowsill sets her sights on a successful defence of her Olympic crown.
Ian Hanson: Emma what are some of the most unusual thing you have come across in the last twelve months in Stellenbosch, near Cape Town in South Africa?
Emma Snowsill: Baboons on the road that is always an interesting one. That is probably the one time when you didn't want to have a banana in your back pocket when you are running up a mountain. Yeah that is one thing you certainly don't see when you are out running on the Gold Coast. Look it's a really fantastic country I really had no idea what to expect going there. I had only raced there once in 2005 it's really diverse and a lot of it really does remind me of Australia. We have a really strong rivalry in sport as I soon found out when I arrived and was given a lot of flack over football and cricket. It's only a matter of getting out and training with the people there. You have so many world champion mount bikers it's really unknown, untouched area in that regard and the athletes that go there seem to make it a little bit of a secret....I've long heard about it but finally got to experience it myself.
Ian Hanson: Looking at starting the season in Mooloolaba which is exciting isn't it?
Emma Snowsill: It's always fantastic the Sunshine Coast has always served me well for races and I really enjoy racing there.....It does feel like my second home in Australia....To race on home soil is something you just don't get all that often and it's always great to get a home crowd advantage and I'll be using that as best I can.
Ian Hanson: You said it's about two years since you have raced here.
Emma Snowsill: Yeah that really surprise's me, obviously being around the races is one thing but being able to race is another....it doesn't feel that long but I'm really looking forward to it.
Ian Hanson: It won't be easy for you Emma....the field at Mooloolaba is going to be like a mini world championship?
Emma Snowsill: This race alone is never easy regardless of who's on the start line but it's always great to have as many girls that you're going to be racing throughout the season as possible. It really gives you an opportunity to see where you're at, where you need to make some changes in terms of coming into the next race.
Ian Hanson: The Sunshine Coast really does have an amazing feel for Triathlon events at Noosa and of course Mooloolaba....like you said your second home.
Emma Snowsill: Triathlon is really embraced up on the Sunshine Coast and I think that's fantastic and I think that's due to the events that they have had up there. The sport is growing and growing.....it's really a great feeling to travel around the world and to come back home but also not far from home and experience such amazing events as well, it's a real credit to the organisers for everything they put into it.
Ian Hanson: Then onto Sydney and the opening round of the World Series that's always exciting going to Sydney isn't it.
Emma Snowsill: Based on the fact they take your four best races I would like to look at racing less and obviously you can drop your worst performance but right at the moment I would be looking at doing Sydney then racing Yokohama maybe missing one or two of the races and doing another block of training then racing the second half and then the final so it's become very important for me to choose my races carefully and not over race but in the same breath if something really went wrong and you had a puncture and you couldn't finish you still have the opportunity to do another race and pick up more points that way.
For the full interview click on the link.
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