Tom shows he’s the golden boy
DESPITE only recently returning from injury, snowboarder Tom Robinson rode into first place at the British Indoor Slopestyle Championships last weekend, taking gold in the Under-16 category.
The Fallibroome High School student has had a difficult past 12 months, having been flown home from Austria last year for surgery after a training accident.
However, his love for the sport and dedication has been instrumental in his rehabilitation, working tirelessly with his coach Ben Kinnear.
Kinnear said: “Tom’s attitude and commitment to improving his performance is a real asset to his own development and to those around him.
“His ability to come back from a fairly longterm injury and overcome a setback like this means he thoroughly deserves his success. I look forward to seeing him continue to improve this season.”
This was Robinson’s first competition since recovering from a dislocated elbow and a broken growth plate and he knew it was going to be difficult, having been out for almost a year.
He rode well in the open jam format but unfortunatley missed out on a spot in the overall final.
However, the 13-year- old nailed both of his runs in the Under-16 category, and his skill and dedication didn’t go unnoticed by the judges.
When they announced the podium places, hearing his name called out for first place took him massively by surprise, since he didn’t think he’d even made the top three.
After securing his first win since last year Robinson said: “It’s been hard coming back after several injuries this time but I still love riding and it was great to ride with my team-mate Billy Cockrell, who won silver. I’m looking forward now to going to Austria this weekend with the team and getting ready for the European competitions in January.”
Darren Roberts, high performance manager at Harris & Ross Healthcare said: “We deal with many athletes, including many world class athletes in action sports.
“Fitness and training is an important part of action sports, which are about the athlete tolerating their sport and being able to do what they ask their bodies to do.
“It’s great to have a positive impact on athletes at a young age.
“We’re happy to help Tom with his performance management and be part of the great support network he already has.
“Tom’s incredible recovery and passion is inspiring and is sure to bring him more success.”