Manchester triathlon star Georgia Taylor-Brown admits her ambition to compete at Tokyo 2020 burns even brighter after the addition of a new event to the Olympic programme.
Last week, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced a mixed relay event will debut in Japan in three years’ time, having proven popular at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
It is a decision the 23-year-old has welcomed with open arms, having enjoyed a stellar start to her first season at senior level, having spent two years sidelined through injury.
Just last month, Taylor-Brown lay down her marker with a maiden ITU World Cup victory in Madrid, and she’s already set her sights on bigger and better things.
“I’m really excited that the mixed relay is going to be in the Olympics – it will be amazing,” she said.
“In a relay, you always feel that you have that bit extra to give and you can dig a bit deeper, because it’s not just yourself that you’re doing it for.
“It will be even bigger at the Olympics because you’re doing it for your country and I think it’s going to be incredible. It would be amazing if I got the opportunity to do it.
“It’s short, it’s fast racing, it’s intense, and the lead can change a lot, so I think spectators are able to get more involved.
“Winning in Madrid was amazing. I wasn’t expecting that result at all, but I guess the race went in my favour and I ended up coming away with the win.
“It was incredible and it’s nice to be able to be on top of the podium – it had been a long time since I was last up there. It gives you a bit of confidence too, coming into your next races.”
But while her focus right now is solely on the rest of the 2017 season, Taylor-Brown’s focus will soon switch to next year, with the opportunity to compete on home soil on offer.
For the first time ever, a new multi-sport event will combine the existing European Championships for aquatics, cycling, gymnastics, rowing and triathlon, along with a new golf team championships, between August 2-12 in Glasgow.
The 2018 European Athletics Championships meanwhile will be held in Berlin from August 7-12.
More than 3,000 of the continent’s finest athletes will descend on the Scottish city over 11 days of action for the biggest sporting event in the country since the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, with tickets now on sale– and Taylor-Brown can’t wait for the action to unfold.
“It’s going to be amazing having the European Championships so close to home,” she said.
“Leeds offers the best crowd at a WTS event and it’s incredible. I’ve never seen any crowd like it.
“A home crowd seems to back you more, and they get out, throw themselves into supporting you, and it’s relaxing when you have your friends and family watching.
“I get more excited because they’re so excited to watch me. They never get the chance to come and watch me because most are abroad.
“I think it’s going to be like a mini-Olympics, and for me, being one of the young ones, it will be nice to get a feeling of what it might be like at a major Games.”
Tickets for the Glasgow 2018 European Championships – an exciting new multi-sport event bringing together some of the continent’s leading sports – are now on sale at www.glasgow2018.com/tickets starting at £10 for adults and £5 for under-16s and over-60s.
Image courtesy of British Triathlon via Youtube, with thanks.
