GUERNSEY’S Olympic hopeful Dale Garland is focusing all his energies into preparing for Beijing in August. The island’s best ever athlete is currently recovering from injury, having torn quad muscles. He has received a series of herbal injections to treat the injury and is hoping to gauge his recovery in the next few days in the UK.
‘It’s a grade-one tear and nothing too serious,’ he said.
‘It won’t set me back long-term.’
But it could mean he misses the Norwich Union World Trials and UK Championships indoors in Sheffield at the weekend.
He rates his chances of making them as 50:50.
‘That is the World Championship trials for indoors and I have still not ruled that out,’ he said.
The IAAF World Indoor Championships are being held in Valencia, Spain, next month.
Garland believes there may be a deadline for selection in the weeks after the national indoor championships to obtain a qualifying time for the worlds.
‘It’s Olympic year and everything is geared around the Olympics,’ he stressed.
‘I don’t mind if I miss the indoors, but I’m still hoping to make them. It’s not a major issue but it would be nice to compete to gauge where you are at. I won’t be risking any further injury because it’s Olympic year.’
After the indoor championships there is a big gap before the major summer events start, but Garland is feeling in good shape.
‘I have had a really good winter and the speed is good - it’s looking good for this summer and I’m as confident as I can be,’ he said.
He is hoping to take half a second off the ‘B’ standard he is at currently - with 49.2 being the qualifying ‘A’ standard for the 400m hurdles in Beijing.
Garland is also looking to challenge for a place in the
4×400m British relay team for the Olympics.
But what are his realistic goals and targets for Beijing?
‘I’m just focusing on the hurdles now. In the Olympics, if you are running 49.2, that should get you through to the semi-finals and it would be nice to get a personal best,’ he said.
His PB and island record stand at 49.79.
Last season he was ranked second in the 400m hurdles and won the nationals and was the only British representative in the event at the World Championships.
He believes his training partner, Steve Green, should get the ‘A’ standard qualifying time.
Garland was delighted to have been awarded last week the Richard Burton Salver for the outstanding achievement of the year by a resident sportsman.
‘It’s good. I won it last year and it’s nice to win it again and get acknowledgement for what you are doing,’ he said.
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