Returning from High altitude in Silveretta, Austria to England to our final Olympic preparation camp at our everyday training venue just outside Reading.

I’ll admit it felt slightly odd living in a hotel in the town where I went to university. This subsided quickly as realization dawned that the games were rapidly approaching.

The camp in Austria had been so constructive to our rowing. Problems with injury or illness were minimal, and this certainly gave me the impression of real consistency and constant improvements in our rowing.

We arrived to our last camp in good shape both Physically and mentally, really ready to start our intensive speed work preparations. The next ten days flew by and again I felt we made some more valuable progress ahead of travelling to Beijing.

Getting into Olympic kit for the journey east felt exciting and everyone looked impressive.

There was a real buzz around the team in the airport, lots of people were asking what sport we were from and wished us good luck for the coming weeks. The flight was even ok; our performances over the world cup season had given us an upgrade to business class, which gave us beds and some nicer food!

Getting off the Plane in China The heat and humidity hit me like a steam train, but this was nothing to the sense of occasion, which filled the airport about the looming games.

Everywhere you looked there were advertisements relating to City and the event it was about to host. Our Visas were issued to us which came in the form of an Olympic accreditation, which I have to take everywhere to prove who I am and what I am doing in China, it is round my neck all of the time bar sleeping and rowing!

Staying in a hotel until we finish competing is better, I concluded this after our first trip in The Olympic village. A restaurant that can hold thousands of people and serves virtually every style of food from around the globe at no cost is the sort of place many people, including me could become easily distracted.

There was so much to do outside eating, the Village is something I really want to experience but after the racing is finished!

The more days we spend out here the increase in media is incredible and now on the day of the opening ceremony it is simmering ready to increase over the next two weeks.