Entry 1: Never underestimate those around you 

After watching the recent World Cup I learnt anything is possible if you believe in yourself, even when everyone else believes it’s impossible. The most important thing is to never underestimate anyone, as your biggest threat can always be the person with no apparent chance of winning.

That’s why I never underestimate someone who lines up beside me (my many appearances on the track tell me that) and know that belief in myself is key to making the impossible a reality.

That’s why 2010 is going to be a big year, a year where I build great belief in myself whilst never forgetting about the athlete in the next lane.

I started my year racing every weekend (except three) from the start of January until the national titles in Perth at the end of April, thankful for a month home in Geelong at the end of it. It was great to head home having been nominated for my first Commonwealth Games, and with the pressure of the trials over whilst at the same time knowing that now the real work begins for peak condition on that one day in October.

This will be the first time there has been a men’s wheelchair race held at the Commonwealth Games and since the news was announced every male athlete has been focusing on making the team. Unfortunately, only three can be selected and I am looking forward to representing the green and gold with pride come October.

Over the past two months I have followed the international scene around the world at one stage racing six out of 11 days on three continents against some of the best guys in the world.

At the Swiss series in June I managed to perform very well, setting new personal bests in almost all of my races. There I competed in five events, four of them being results that included a new world record! I was second to the new world record holder on three occasions, twice breaking the previous world record myself. This was the fifth time I was second in the 800m going under the previous world record. Sometimes it seems like it’s never going to happen and I’m never going to hold that record, but this just makes me hungrier to race and makes me want the world record even more. Instead, I have to keep telling myself that when it’s my turn it will happen and not to stress about it too much.

Most importantly, I tell myself to just have fun – it’s a great lifestyle racing the world, travelling to so many countries each year and meeting so many cool people. But there are the days when you want to stay in bed but you crawl out, rug up and do that hard session in driving rain, heavy winds and icy tracks on a frosty morning because you know it’s all worth the work.

Over the coming months I will be trying to get in as much warm weather as I can to try to get myself in the best possible condition for the Commonwealth Games in India. During August I will be returning to Europe for a few Diamond League meetings before the Australian team camp in Cairns on the way to India.

So until next time, train hard and believe anything is possible.