It is difficult to know whether or not this year has flown by. On the one hand, the weeks and months through the tough winter training dragged on and on like never before, with the Olympic goal like a bull’s-eye target too distant to make out. On the other hand, we are now right in the middle of the World Cup season just 10 weeks before the Olympic final in August.

Peter Reed (left) with his gold-medal winning crew in Austria, June 2007.

The summer racing season is here. Each year there are three World Cup regattas in Europe where the majority of the countries enter their boats for a chance to measure themselves against the opposition and to get ready for the main event of the year. For three years out of four, this main event is the World Championships in September that marks the end of the season, but every 4^th year is the big one: The Olympic Games.

So far this season, I have pushed my personal best performances in training and won the National Trials Regatta in a pair (two-man boat) with Andrew Triggs Hodge for the 4^th year in a row. Three weeks ago the newly selected coxless four raced in Munich for the 1^st World Cup.

The last time we raced was 8 months ago at the World Championships, which coincidently shared the same venue. It wasn’t a nice feeling going back to face the course of our 4^th place defeat last year. We didn’t know how fast the opposition were, we were racing as the underdogs and we had a substitute with us.

Tom Lucy, who recently turned 20, replaced the injured, and recently selected, Tom James in the bows of the boat. Lucy was only in the crew for four training sessions before we raced the heat, which wasn’t ideal preparation, but he fitted in very well and showed class and maturity of someone a lot more experienced, racing in the lead boat for the first time. He had an equal contribution to the boat in training sessions and all three races and thoroughly deserves his first senior international gold medal.

After racing well in a tough semi-final draw (which was made up of five of the six crews from the World Championship final last year – only the World Champions, New Zealand were missing from the event), we were relaxed and confident that we could perform well in the final. Everything went to plan and we had a good lead by half way. I was just enjoying every stroke and proving something to myself once again.

Of course, we know that we were in seeded lanes and all the crews in that race will move on. The Dutch and Italians, who beat us last year, have experience and class and we are yet to race the New Zealand coxless four, so rather than getting ahead of ourselves we are carrying on with our own preparation with our full crew.

This great start now needs to be followed up on June 1, 2008 in the final of the Lucerne World Cup.

Preparation could have been smoother, with two of our crew out of the event with back injuries, but even with two substitutes, who are fantastic athletes, we are going there to win. We will need to race well with the World Champions (New Zealand) showing up for the first time.

I’m feeling very relaxed about the build up at the moment. It is important for me to stay calm as I find rowing well is less challenging with a calm head. It is also easier to concentrate on the job in hand if you are not getting worried about your own performance.

Athletes and non-athletes alike often have the dream of going to the Olympic Games - it's the ultimate experience in sports.

Gilbert hits the road in the Austin half-marathon.

I am no exception and this year, I decided to go for it, but first I needed a qualifying time in the marathon. I decided that the Flora London Marathon was my best shot at getting a qualifying time that might land me a spot on the team of my country - Burundi.

I trained hard in the U.S. and was feeling very good about the upcoming race.

A few weeks before I was heading out to London, I started to experience pain in my sciatic nerve, which started to pull at my hamstring. I continued to train and hope for the best, knowing that I have pushed my body many times before and worked through injury.

When I arrived in London and tried to run, my hamstring really gave me a lot of pain, but I did not panic. I thought it was from sitting on the plane over to London from Texas for ten hours. I continued to train and to stay hydrated and hope for the best.

The marathon is a race that must always be respected. You have to have a strategy and a back up plan. So, on the day of the race, I really felt good and tried to warm up. My hamstring was not cooperating. When I hit mile two, I knew that it was going to be rough and dialed back my time per mile time from 5:15 to 5:42 thinking I could make up the time later.

By mile 3, the pain was so terrible, I knew that the Olympics were out of the question. At mile 4 and 5 I thought that I would just finish the race, I could not quit.

Things began to get worse for me from that point. The rain had started and I was looking for the medical tent. There, they wrapped me up and told me to wait, but I just couldn't. I headed back to the course and started to walk.

The rain was really coming down at that point and I became upset. My dream was washing away through my tears onto the streets of London. I had never been in this part of a marathon before, but I knew a friend who was running and I tried to find her to help her and encourage her along the way.

Finally, a taxi driver saw me and double-backed, picked me up and dropped me off at my hotel. It was time to regroup and figure this out.

This was not the worse thing that has ever happened to me. I have survived worse situations.

I started to reflect upon the fact that every time I try and train hard for a marathon, something happens. Perhaps this is just not the right time for me.

Perhaps God has something else in mind for me. I am being stubborn and pushing for something that is not supposed to be right now.

Now, I am home in Austin, Texas some weeks later.

Thankfully, my hamstring was not torn. I have done physical therapy and massage therapy to repair the damage.

I have been working hard at strengthening my core to support the rest of my body. I know that I still have that marathon in me, but it was not meant to be for this year.

There are so many issues with these Olympics - the humidity, the pollution and now, the terrible crisis and suffering of the Chinese people hit by the earthquake. They are the ones who need our help, our hope and our prayers

The last two tournaments of the Olympic year in Peru and Miami were unbelievable experiences for me – I won both tournaments.

On the way to victory in Miami.

I had won the Peru International, part of the Future Series, last year, but it was still very important for me to win because its my home and I knew everybody was watching me.

I felt under a lot of pressure because I had been training in the world training center in Germany and I also had an Olympic scholarship, so I felt I had to make it really a good performance. Also as it's the end of the Olympic year, I needed the points.

The first rounds were OK but in the semi-finals I had to play against a Spanish girl; it was a very hard match and we played for around an hour. My father, who is my biggest admirer, brought all of my family to watch – I was really nervous, I felt sick to my stomach.

I lost the first set making unbelievable mistakes that I never normally would do. Somehow my hand and body were too tense to play and to move I had no exclusivity , it was a disaster. But then before going to the second set I told myself I had to do my best, it didn't matter if I won or lost. Suddenly I was more relaxed and things started to get better and I won the last two sets, what a relief!

In the final I played against another Spanish girl who beat an Australian in the other semi-final, but in this match I was on fire! I was very motivated and won in two straight sets.

It felt unbelievable to win a tournament especially this year because the players are stronger and tournaments are tougher now that everybody needs points for the Olympics.

My family and friends were very happy for me and invited me to go and celebrate, but not until the week afterwards. The following week I had another tournament in Miami. Sometimes being responsible is a little bit boring, ha ha.

Then I flew to Miami with some of my team mates form Peru. Those are the tournaments I really like to go; traveling with my friends we joke all the time on the airplane. Most of the time I fly alone and it is so boring because Peru is so far from everything, especially from Germany where I practice.

I always like the Miami tournament because the weather is amazing, the hotel, the people, and the shopping!

I won the tournament but here I played the final against my doubles partner. We had both reached the finals by beating Australians in the semis. It was funny because we played the doubles final first, but neither of us could concentrate in that match, we were thinking about the final that was later.

So in the end we lost our doubles match, but at least I won the singles.

I like to play tournaments in America because I know all the players and we are close friends. Sometimes to save money they stay in my house or I stay in theirs if the tournaments are in their countries... yup, badminton players don't earn as much money as tennis players!

So after my win we went out that night to celebrate because winning these two tournaments I am almost sure to be in the Olympics! I don't think I will really believe it until I am in the stadium in Beijing with my Peruvian track suit on - it's going to be the biggest experience of my life!

Well, now I am going back home to Peru for two, well deserved, weeks of vacation. Kestus (my boyfriend) is coming with me, so I am sure we will have a good time.

Well I hope you enjoyed my blog!

Thanks for reading, Claudia.