The final World Cup regatta in Poland was the last opportunity for us to compare ourselves to the majority of the qualified Olympic opposition. After getting Andy and Tom back into the boat (with their injuries behind them) we knew that we had a lot to do in a short space of time.

Silver in Poznan, but no smiles.

We finished 2^nd to the Dutch crew who we have raced at nearly every international regatta for the last 4 years – it is a big step up from the 8^th place of Lucerne, but still not where I want to be and it is hard to hide the signs of disappointment after defeat.

What’s done is done. I’m just pleased to be back in the full line up again and with a monumental training load on its way in the form of an Austrian Alps altitude camp I’m sure I will have all the fire and drive I need to dig deep through session after session.

One thing is for sure, we are not at all complacent. I’m hoping this year, on the Austrian work camp, to find out new things about what I am capable of because I know this is what I have to do to win gold.

We leave the comfort of our own homes for the last time before the Olympics in just a few days and the next time we’re back will be after Beijing 2008 is all over. It is going to be an intense experience that I know I’ll never forget.

KASHGAR, China - It’s been nearly 10 years since I last visited Kashgar, a city of 3.8 million on the western frontier region of China. Its airport is now five times bigger and is now a gateway to six international destinations. It now boasts of paved six-lane roads, quite an improvement from the bumpy narrow dirt roads that we took during my previous four visits.

Students dance during the Olympic torch relay Tuesday in Urumqi, China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.

This time I return to cover the Olympic torch relay. In the early morning of June 18 I watch a contingent of Kashgar students practice cheering the arrival of the Olympic torch in this mainly Muslim city. “Go China,” they chanted, on cue. “Go Beijing! … Go Kashgar!” How odd, I thought. Kashgar people are normally more spontaneous than this.

The torch’s arrival here is a reminder of China’s rule over this remote frontier region. China hopes to show that it is a nation of diverse cultures and ethnic groups.

And for Kashgar, it’s a chance to showcase their exotic culture to attract more tourists and investors. More than 80 percent of Kashgar’s 3.8 million people are Uighurs, a Turkic-speaking, traditionally Muslim ethnic group. Here East meets West, and communism coexists with Islam.

“By choosing Kashgar as a relay stop,” Kashgar’s parliament chief Zinet Emer tells me, ” the central government has given us tremendous importance.”

But this was a particularly sensitive leg of the relay, given the tensions between China and the disgruntled Uighurs– some of whom are seeking independence from Chinese rule.

Heavy security was in place to prevent protests during the torch run. The government banned all but carefully chosen members of the public. Twice, police meticulously checked us – journalists and our gear – just as they do at the airports. “We normally don’t do this,” Emer tells me. “But those (anti-China) groups overseas have thrown jabs at us so we must hit back with a big punch. We must safeguard everyone’s safety.”

More than 200 torchbearers took turns parading the torch through Kashgar’s main streets. Along the route, residents cheered them on, shouting pre-approved standard slogans. “Go, China!” … But we only witnessed the relay of the last seven torchbearers because authorities confined us to a designated press section on the sprawling People’s Square. There, the carefully planned pageantry ended with songs and dances, under the close watch of Chinese police.

As in my previous visits, Kashgar impressed me with its distinctive culture and endearing hospitality. But the extremely tight security today leaves a bad impression: it highlights the differences between the public face that China wants to present to the world, and the tense reality on the ground.

I wonder what it will be like when the Olympic torch relay reaches Beijing on August 6, two days before the start of the 2008 Olympics.

There’s a proverb from Burundi that inspires me: "It is easy to light a fire and difficult to extinguish it." I know that after the London Marathon, I said I was finished doing marathons. I let go of the dream. But, as April faded into May and now June, I have started to rethink the idea.

'It is easy to light a fire and difficult to extinguish it'.

One day, back in Austin, it was raining so hard and I was waiting for my Gazelle running group. A few people showed up, so I sent them off to run. I thought, well, things happen for a reason and I need to take advantage of the time, so let’s get busy. I locked myself in the annex of RunTex, our local running store. I remembered the day that the doctor in Burundi told me that running was out of the question and I did not want that to happen again.

I knew that my problem from London must be a nerve and I could fix it with core exercises and balance work. I did 800 sit ups straight – regular sit ups, obliques, roman chair. I did balance work – hopping on one leg, two legs, bounding and leg extensions. I turned up my music so loud, from Zaire, a great artist, Koffi Olomide. It was so difficult, but it was really a cleansing exercise for me in many ways – physically and mentally. I realized that I am still strong and I still have a fire burning within me.

While pushing myself, I have been to doctors, physical therapists and massage therapists to try to hasten the recovery. I do as they ask and then I push myself even harder.

I have been joking with friends lately that I am running in the middle of day and behind buses in Austin, to get used to the heat, humidity and pollution.

On a more serious note, I really am enjoying running on Lady Bird Lake here in Austin. It always reminds me so much of Burundi, my home. While many, many miles away from my African homeland, I feel connected to Burundi in a way that is hard to explain. I am running with joy again as I nurture my body back to health and nurture my mind. It helps me think about what might be possible for me as an athlete and a coach.

This connection to the world is really the essence of the Olympic Games. For a short period of time, we all put aside the struggles between us and focus on the competition of the Games. We all swell with pride for our countrymen and women as they compete at the height of their athletic ability.

The Olympic Games allows the world to come together to seek greatness and unite the world into one. Even though I will not be competing in the Beijing Olympics this year, the Olympic flame still burns strong in my heart as it does in all mankind. In my homeland of Burundi we have a word that perfectly describes this collective spirit of humanity...“ubuntu”.

I must go for a run now. This voice in my heart tells me to get out there and move. It reminds me how blessed I am. I wonder how many times I will run between now and 2012?

I am sure there is not a single sportsman in the world that enjoys losing. There are probably only a handful who don’t mind losing.

Pete and the crew put the work in to little reward in Lucerne.

For me, the toughest thing to take is the feeling that you were not good enough or you under-performed.

This disappointing and irritating feeling has stayed with me this last week since our defeat in Lucerne. At this second World Cup, we raced without our selected stroke-man (Andrew Triggs Hodge) and bow-man (Tom James).

They were both on a recovery programme with back injuries so we decided to race the coxless four as planned with 2 ‘substitutes’ onboard. I use inverted commas here because it is not right to call these guys subs: Colin Smith (at stroke) and Tom Lucy (bow seat) have so many strengths. They are both world bronze medalists from 2007 in the coxless pair and eight respectively.

Although we had found some good speed in training and raced right on the red line, we just couldn’t find enough to make the A final, missing out by just 0.2 seconds to the World Champions, New Zealand.

In the B final the next day, I have no doubt that we all put our heart and soul into the race again to prove to ourselves that we could race against the best times of the A final. We just didn’t have enough speed, efficiency and power after the flat out racing to finish the race off – ending up a disappointing 8^th overall.

Having been back in the UK for a week I am pleased to say that things are back on track with Hodge and TJ. I’m already looking forward to the next chance to set the record straight.

I went to Peru for two weeks vacation before starting the preparation period for the Olympics. My vacations were amazing. Kestus, my boyfriend, came to visit me and my father was so excited he even prepared a new room in the house for him. We cooked typical Peruvian food for him, which he absolutely loved. I’m biased but I must say Peruvian food is some of the best in the world.

Feeling the stretch with a little help.

Looking glamorous on the court for a shoot.

We went to the beach almost every day, went dancing (Peruvians love to dance), to the movies and to meet my family. It was the first time we were not thinking about badminton but we still had to do some running so we didn’t lose all our physical condition.

We wanted to go to Cuzco that is the most famous historical place in Peru, but I had so many interviews to do.

The president of the Peruvian Olympic Federation announced that I officially qualified for Olympics so all the media wanted to talk to me. Don’t think I am famous in my country, it’s just because there are only 9 Peruvian athletes going to Beijing. In Peru sport is not very popular.

People don’t see sports as a way of living because you can not make money out of it and the government doesn’t support sports very much . The only sport Peruvians care about is football and we are not even good!

As for my interviews… at the beginning they were OK but after some time they really got in the way of me being able to do all the other things I wanted to do. But I know that badminton needs more publicity so that people can see that is a beautiful sport and hopefully they want to play it.

There was a special photo shoot for a magazine that I liked; I had to pose with different cocktail dresses and pretend I was playing badminton. It was hard and it took forever to do the make up and everything, but it was fun getting my hair and make up done and to wear the dresses.

In a few days I am going back to Germany to start practicing again. I’m really looking forward to that especially because we will have only one tournament before Olympics, so I can focus on correcting a few things in my technique and build up my stamina.

I am a little bit sad also because there are some friends who can’t make it to Olympics and will not be there when I come back to Germany, but I will have them always on my mind.

I feel lucky to be one of the few people in the world who can experience the Olympics games and I will practice as hard as I can to be there in my best shape.

One of the things I have noticed that athletes ask me is: “How do you get over a bad race?”

Wrapped up in disappointment and reflection after the London marathon.

I always find this interesting when people ask me this and somewhat puzzling. I guess for me, I know that I have survived much, much worse than just DNF-ing a race.

Surviving the genocide in Burundi made me a different person and has completed changed my perspective about many things in life. So many people encouraged me and supported me in my bid to go the Olympics and I received so many wonderful emails after I left London.

I am really trying to understand why people ask me how to overcome a bad race so that I can be a better coach.

Of course, when I realized that I could not go on in London, I was upset as I said in my last blog. But, when I returned to my hotel room and had some time to reflect, I knew that I must just get past it. I try to learn from every race – what I have done well and what I could have done differently or better.

First and foremost is the issue of traveling. For those runners headed to the Olympics, most will have to travel a very long way. For my friends from Africa, it’s no less than 20 hours to China.

Travel of this nature can be brutal, especially for elite athletes who are so used to having a certain routine or rhythm. When I went to London, I did my last run, went for a massage and then sat on the plane for 9 hours. Looking back, I should have done a very light work out, a very easy, relaxing massage. It’s tempting to get your last hard run in at home, but I really suggest easing up before traveling.

Also, I suggest getting on your feet and trying to walk on the plane a bit every 3-4 hours. Drink plenty of water, maybe more water than usual.

The second important thing to do is to give your body time to adjust upon arrival. Especially for China, many athletes will be so excited to go to the Olympics, but they will need to let their bodies adjust to the time difference by arriving with enough time to adjust and get proper rest.

The third important thing is nutrition. Arriving in a different place can cause some challenges to all of your body’s system, especially the digestive system. While many athletes do have set nutrition, it can be hard to find what you want to eat while your body is adjusting. Again, I encourage lots of hydration.

And, it’s very important to maintain regularity by eating fruits, vegetables and fiber. Again, this was an issue for me in London as I ate so much pasta that I had some discomfort for a few days.

Most importantly, the athletes must relax and stay focused. The Olympic experience is so exciting and is filled with distractions. While some athletes can harness their nerves to help them excel, others may need to really focus.

Most of all, it’s the chance of a lifetime and relaxing will help improve overall performance.