THERE are few elite athletes who can boast the longevity of David Florence.
The 35-year-old from Aberdeen is embarking on his eighteenth consecutive season competing at the highest level of canoe slalom and while most mere mortals would be beginning to slow down having battled with the world’s best for almost two decades, there is no sign of that from Florence.
The three-time Olympic silver medallist opens his international season tomorrow, at the European Championships in Prague, and having already collected seven European medals over the years, including gold in 2012, he is no stranger to success at this event.
The Scot, who will compete only in the C1 class, may be one of the elder statesmen of the sport these days but his ambition has not dulled in the slightest.
“I’d like to be on the podium and if you do that, there’s always the chance you might win,” he said.
“If I paddle really well, I’ve got a good chance of winning it so it’s more about just trying to do the best I can and concentrate on getting my own runs right. But some days, you can do that and you’ll only be seventh because six other guys will have really good runs themselves of the water might run better for some people than others because luck definitely has something to do with it, and that applies to my good runs as well. So if I get things right, I’ve got a very good chance.”
The most remarkable thing about Florence since he broke onto the international scene almost twenty years ago has been his ability to maintain his motivation over that period. And while his life has changed considerably compared to the teenager that first competed for GB, his drive has not diminished in the slightest.
“Things are probably a little bit different now in that I’ve got more going on in my life and I’m pulled in different directions from that,” he admits.
“I’ve got kids now so being away a lot is much tougher than it used to be but on the competing and training side, I still love it.
“I want to do it properly - this isn’t something you can do half-heartedly because it’s so tough so, for me, the choice is either give it my all or don’t waste my time. I love the sport - I still love training and trying to get better, there’s so many things I can still improve. I certainly don’t feel like I’ve run out of things to work on - if anything, there’s not enough hours in the day.”
One thing that has kept Florence on his toes is the competition that has emerged within the British team. The paddler will be joined in Prague by his compatriots Ryan Westley and Adam Burgess and all have the ability to grab a medal.
And while that level of athlete within Britain makes securing GB selection considerably more difficult, it does, admits Florence, keep everyone on their toes and keep them as race sharp as possible going into the season.
“This year, selection was as tough as its ever been,” he said.
“Without wanting to sound arrogant, in previous years, I was able to just turn up and I pretty much knew that I’d be in the team but it’s nothing like that now, I need to paddle really well just to make the team nowadays.
“Having someone else in your country at a very high standard makes a big difference.
“It makes you aware that you need to push on every single day and you can learn a lot from the other guys.”
“There’s a really healthy competitiveness - everyone wants to come out on top.”
While Florence’s motivation, as well as his level of performance, may be as high as ever, he admits that he has begun to think about retirement. The Tokyo Olympic Games are just two years away and while nothing can ever be guaranteed in elite sport, he does, he reveals, like to think that he will continue long enough to make his fourth Olympic appearance.
“ I do think about how much longer I’ll keep going,” he said.
“I don’t know anything for definite but I think there’s a reasonable chance that I’ll go on for another couple more years and then retire. But it all depends on how I’m feeling and how I’m getting on.
“Actually, in the build-up to the Beijing Olympics (in 2008), I thought that I might retire after that. The way I viewed the sport at the time, I thought that I’d give everything for a few years and that if I could get to an Olympic Games and maybe even get a medal, that would be amazing and then I would go on and do something else.
So it’s pretty amazing to think that I’m still going now.”
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