Just Another Year of Coffee on the Go....2013

2013 Quick Update, this year has started as just another year of a ever rolling string of sipping coffee's in transit in foreign airport, with collection of new experiences mixed in between...

 

As such just a quick visual update, until I get chance to update all on what i'm doing, or what countries i am working with etc... However there is one thing that remains true, through any language barriers or foreign culture, the beauty of the world is always ever so wonderful the further I venture into it. So until I get a chance to update a vast number of out-dated posts on my activities over the last year, here is a short visual collection of some of the beauty I have seen through my eyes so far this year, just so my family and friends know I am still out there and still alive somewhere in the world (Currently in training in Arizona, USA). From peaceful sunrise, across sea's through Asian ultra consumerism in Singapore, to glowing Japanese Sakura (cherry blossoms) in Tokyo, this is this little physiotherapists 2013 so far...

Sunrise over a typical country mailbox in Australia

Australia - Home with the family for the Christmas in 3 years was definitely wonderful time :)

Singapore (Boat goes through ultraconsumerism & wealth of Marina Bay Sand's Casino)

Indonesia (a innocent girl i saw out of a temple ready for some function)

Tokyo, Japan: Beautiful Sight i saw one night during Cherry Blossum's or Sakura Festival.

Nice inviting entrance sign at our hotel in Pheonix, Arizona :/

 

USA - A Great backdrop to training in the USA

 

London 2012 Olympic Games- Visual Memories: Photo Blog

The London 2012 has long past now, The Queen has gone back to her mundane life with her welsh corgis in Buckingham Palace, and Mr Bean to his Highbury flat ; athletes have since disappeared into either retirement, and a more normal lifestyle, or a much needed rest period before their next 4 year training campaign begins... The saying always goes that a picture tells a thousand words, so to "Inspire a Generation" as the London Olympic states; here is a visual memory of collection of photo's i took while in search of The Rings that would bind all man kind as little hobbits would put it in a very truthful statement....


Road cycling peloton racing through the middle of the road race

Busy High street showing off all the colours of all countries flags

Australian Denshaw battles out in the final stretches of the Triathlon event



London river Thames

Pure guts in an attempted breakaway in the Triathlon event



Wenlock goes for gold 

Night time on the London Tower Bridge

London keeps going at night

St Paul's Cathedral

The famous London buses at Piccadilly Square

Rings on the Thames

The final beautiful stretch, of the last 1km of the road race in cycling. An amazing view i got from above.

True London weather, as a 'Game Maker' stands out in the rain



sign of determination off Spanish cyclist -Sanchez as he chases down after a fall on bike

British Past-time of Pub beer drinking

UK come out in support of the road race in cycling

Usain Bolt shines in London off Westminster Abbey



Farewell at Redfern station

Me standing infront of the tower bridge, as two Olympic rings collide on the Thames

Asian Athletics Tour 2012....the race was on down the final stretch for Olympic Qualifiers!!

 

....... from the futuristic neon paced Tokyo, to battling the fighting warrior of Korea, dodging in and out of the tuk-tuk crowded lanes of India, treading through the rice fields of Vietnam, across the orange buddhist filled temple floors of Bangkok, soaring over the ever-morphing metropolis of Shanghai, camel races through the sands of the Dubai deserts, it had all come down to the final straight aka the final desperate attempts for Asian Athletes to gain any remaining spots for the London 2012 Olympics, with a bunch of Asian Athletic Championships, and athletic meets i would experience the frustrations or excitements alongside with them in the final months before the deadline came....(yes this post is late & i am well behind in  updating my blog!)

I was not the only one who had just arrived and joined the team with little time to make large enough impact, but the athletes also had been flown straight in with minimal time to prepare. With many of my athletes having spent 6-month training camps in different places around the globe such as sprinters in the USA & Jamaica  distance runners in hills of Kenya and Javelin throwers along the lakes sides in Finland, but this meant they had only 2 months (some less) to get the results they needed to qualify,...a difficult task, but something we were going to throw everything at (Note: to sports administrators maybe better planning next Olympics-*hint hint*)!! But to the credit of the IAAF for having set up these high performance training centers around the world for athletes from all over the world to be able to train together with the best athletes such as Bolt and the best coaches.

Whatever happened, tears or joy, however at least i would witness some impressive moments, many national or international records broken by various countries athletes and would possible be a sign of what would occur in the Olympics that was still to come. Of course to no surprise as happens in most Asian competitions, we would see some impressive domination from the Chinese athletes, who would leap above the competition and clearly dominate the medal podiums during most of these competitions.

However luckily for Athletics, China is not dominating as much as other sports in Asia, with Team Japan and others like Qatar (despite the possible foreign imported athletes they have), and Korea also managing to go well.



Myself with running twins Kyuma's from Team Japan

Some of my Sri Lanka athletes that i had only started working with did show they can perform (particularly during the Asian Junior's), with some spectacular performance, and some achieving medals at the Asian Championships, maybe they will grow into potential success stories and achieve Olympic medals like their team mate Susanthika Jayasinghe who gained a silver medal at Olympics in women's 200m's; despite being very much an underdog sport in the Cricket & Rugby dominated Sri Lanka sports scene.

Me with one of Sri Lanka's gold medal winners at one competition.

Sri Lanka 4x100m Relay women get silver at one of the competitions

The last and final athletic meet for all the Asian athletes past and present that i had worked with, would be the Asian All-stars in ironically a white country, yes as you see in my photo with Kazakhstan female relay girls, to the surprise of many there are white Asians. This would be my prove to all that Asians can be white, and to all my athletes and friends that i have joked with in the past that believe i can't become an Asian!!...maybe i am a little Asian after all.

hmm "i didn't realize it was going to be that tough".......

....Olympic Qualifying something big sporting nations like  my Australia, take for granted to have athletes, but as this Japanese runner demonstrates, it's not an easy task! Congratulation's to all that qualified (because just making the qualifying marks for the Olympics is an achievement in its own, no matter if you  were medalists in Olympics or not) and those that did not  make it, you still deserve a full congratulation on the personal bests you achieved along the way, not everyone can make it, as long as you know you gave it your best shot then you should be proud of yourself!. Your are all champions...



Success at one competition for Kazakhstan  /Kazakistan atletik başarı

Another success for Team Japan /日本チームの選手のために成功

Kuwait athlete super enjoyed with success in Hammer Throw /الكويت الرياضي فائقة النجاح في رمي المطرقة

Athlete get's amongst the mass crowds in India

Next stop would be the Olympics...