Sponsored by
Olympics: GB star in typhoon scare
SHARON Hunt's dreams of Olympic glory suffered a blow this week after a category eight typhoon battered the Great Britain star's base in Hong Kong.
Tropical storm Kammuri struck Hong Kong in the early hours of Wednesday, hitting team GB's Olympic training camp in Macau.
As a result, Hunt, 30, and her fellow teammates were forced to miss out on valuable training time.
The Beijing Games, which have already come under scrutiny because of lingering smog over the city, start today.
The horses and riders are said to be fine and the scheduled start of equestrian events will go ahead tomorrow.
However, torrential rain and strong winds, which have lashed the area for days, are forecast to continue as the Far East climate takes a turn for the worse.
"It has rained and rained," said Hunt, who lives in Great Saxham.
"Although this has, at least, helped to reduce the temperature."
The former Suffolk Hunt Pony Club member will begin her three-day event programme with dressage tomorrow.
Hunt will tackle the cross-country section on Monday and show jumping next Friday. As well as individually, Hunt will be involved in team events.
"Being involved in my first Olympics is a dream come true for me and I want to make the most of it," she added.
"I am nervous, but I know that I have trained extremely hard for this chance."
GB track cycling duo Victoria Pendleton and Ross Edgar are also due to compete on the greatest sporting stage.
Pendleton, 27, a Mildenhall Cycling Club second claim rider, aims to add an Olympic medal to her impressive tally of World Championship titles when she competes in the individual sprint on August 17.
"It was an honour to be selected in such a strong squad. I'm looking to build on my form from the Manchester World Championships earlier this year," she said.
The two-time World Champion was hoping to compete in at least three events.
But, the women's team sprint and keirin were scrapped by the International Olympic Committee in favour of BMX competitions.
Meanwhile, Edgar, a former West Suffolk Wheeler who lives in Ousden, will compete in the men's team sprint next Friday, before taking to the track for the keirin the day after.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Bury St Edmunds
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -7 C to -1 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: -5 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North east
