TAVISTOCK pentathlete Kate Allenby added to her list of successes by winning individual silver and team gold medals at the World Championships in Moscow at the end of last month.
Kate is now training in preparation for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, where she will be competing as part of Team GB in the modern pentathlon.
The 30-year-old has overcome a string of injury problems ? including shoulder and shin ? since winning the bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Sydney and insists she is undaunted at the prospect of going for another Olympic medal.
She won a bronze individual medal at last year?s World Championships and a gold as part of the women?s team, but has gone one better this year.
?The only reason I stayed on after Sydney was to compete in another Olympic Games,? she said.
But she added that she had been working hard on just treating it as another competition: ?If it becomes anything special then immediately you blow your focus?.
Kate said she had changed a lot since the 2000 Olympics and was more relaxed and enjoying competing a lot more.
?If I get stressed I don?t perform as well. I?m wasting less energy during the day, so that when I come to the final event I?m fresher than I used to be,? she said.
?The most important thing now is to avoid injury. If I do that I can just get better and better.
?But we will have to see how it goes. There is a lot that can go right and a lot that can go wrong in the pentathlon.?
Kate has acquired sponsorship from Panasonic UK for her preparation for the Games and is one of six competitors the company is supporting by providing a range of equipment to help with training for August. The other five are a gymnast, triathlete, swimmer, cyclist and a sailor.
Kate has recently been voted chair of the British Athletes Commission and is also on the British Olympic Association?s executive committee.