With a week to go to the start of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Team GB Swimming Leader Chris Spice believes his squad has arrived at the perfect place in their mental and physical preparations as they embark on the greatest sporting challenge.
Spice feels the Team GB Holding Camp in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, where his swimmers have spent the past week, has provided a unique performance foundation from which the athletes can build towards a complete race-ready state when they arrive in Rio.
As the final countdown towards the start of the swimming competition on 6 August gathers pace, Spice is clear as to what outcomes the team are striving for.
“We have to be aiming for 60-65% of our athletes achieving season best times in their final races and if we do that then the medals will come to us,” said Spice.
“I’m sure we will end up with season best performances if we remember that it’s just another 50m stretch of water. No-one should be overawed by it. It’s very much business as usual.
“We’ve built a real resilience within the team over the past three years and the athletes are in a great place. They are focused, they’re staying calm and collected, and know how to execute their race plans.”
Spice is pleased with the progress of the team over the past two seasons which have delivered impressive performances at World, European and Commonwealth level year-on-year.
“I think we’ve got some really good chances across the team and from our relays, and it’s great to see athletes vying for selection within these,” explained Spice. “We want that sort of depth and competition within the team. It’s good for the whole dynamic.
“I think our athletes are as fit as we’ve ever seen them. They’re sharp and focused while the environment around them is pretty relaxed. We’re not quite ready yet but that’s where we want them.
“We go down to the Olympic village late due to our close proximity to Rio but we will be ready to race. It’s an exciting first few days for Team GB and we’re really looking forward to getting underway now.”
For the past week Team GB have been based at their £1.6m Lottery funded holding camp in Belo Horizonte – a location and set up which Spice feels is the best of any team travelling to Brazil.
“The camp has been three-and-a-half years in the planning and we feel we’ve been alongside the UFMG University team of Luciano Prado and Sergio Fonseca brick by brick as the facility has grown from the ground up,” said Spice.
“We’ve shared the ups and downs but everyone has worked tirelessly to get this ready for us and we couldn’t have done this without the strong leadership of the university.
“Our partners at the BOA, UK Sport and those that help by playing the Lottery have been incredible in making this happen. We know we have the best preparation camp of any team in the world. To be 40 minutes away in a magnificent facility is such a massive bonus coupled with the hospitality of our hosts and volunteers in Belo.
“Not only are our athletes looking sharp but so are the coaches and support team that work tirelessly behind them. They don’t get the plaudits they deserve but every one of them is focused on getting the athletes to where they need to be.
“We’re fine tuning everything so that, as a whole team, we will arrive in Rio ready. We couldn’t be in a better place.”