Elite athlete status has put Jeanette in a fortunate position
The coronavirus pandemic has curtailed people’s freedoms and heavily restricted their movements, but para-canoeist Jeanette Chippington says she feels fortunate to have been able to continue training pretty much as normal throughout the past 12 months.
As an elite athlete she’s been given special dispensation to continue using Bisham Abbey’s gym – while others have been closed – and is regularly out on the water of Dorney Lake, practising and perfecting her technique ahead of what’s likely to be her sixth Paralympic Games in Tokyo in August.
The Taplow athlete has competed in swimming and para-canoe events at five different Paralympic Games, winning a host of gold, silver, and bronze medals, and – despite turning 50 last year - she feels like she’s in the kind of form to replicate those successes in Japan.
“It will be very different to normal, due to the restrictions and everything,” she said. “But training wise, I’m in a fortunate position because, as an elite athlete, I’ve been given special dispensation to continue training. If the gyms have been shut, I’ve been able to go to Bisham and we’ve still had access to Dorney Lake. Training wise it’s been quite good because there have been no other distractions because there isn’t anything else going on. Last year we would have had two competitions, the Europeans and the Worlds, which we would have had to try and peak for, and your training is always interrupted by these breaks. But because we trained through last year I’m now seeing my speed for this time of year is quicker than usual. We’ve never been able to do that before and it could work to our advantage.
“The weather has also been good so it’s looking positive. Once we get the selection events out of the way in April and May we’ll have a straight run through to Tokyo.”