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Great Britain sprinter Joe Truman knows he has a point to prove as he targets an Olympic debut in Paris next summer.<\/p>\n
The 26-year-old saw his Tokyo dream dashed by a back injury which hampered him for the best part of two years, and his return to action did not go smoothly either \u2013 he was knocked out cold in a high-speed crash in the keirin at the Commonwealth Games last summer.<\/p>\n
But those frustrations are now fuelling Truman as he looks to fulfil his long-standing ambition to represent Great Britain at the Olympics.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like I\u2019ve missed a lot of opportunities,\u201d Truman told the PA news agency.<\/p>\n
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\u201cEven at the Commonwealth Games last year, I was looking forward to racing in the sprint and the kilo (time trial) which I never got to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I\u2019ve got a point to prove but I\u2019m just going out to make myself better. If for the next eight months I can go into every week smashing it, doing whatever I can, leaving no stone unturned, then I\u2019ve nowhere to hide really.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy main motivation is to put right the opportunities I\u2019ve missed for various reasons. It is very good fuel really. You don\u2019t want to end your career with any \u2018what ifs\u2019 so I\u2019m really putting my best into every session.\u201d<\/p>\n
Truman\u2019s ambitions have led him to the UCI Track Champions League, the made-for-TV series which is midway through its third season, as he looks to build up his race experience.<\/p>\n
This is the first year the Champions League has taken place in a pre-Olympic year and although organisers moved it forward by a month, a number of star riders nevertheless chose to sit out this season to not disrupt their training. Truman took the opposite view.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CytdoSIsiUT<\/p>\n
\u201c(Getting to Paris) would be massive,\u201d he said. \u201cIt would be making good on eight years\u2019 work. That\u2019s what I want most out of the next year, and that\u2019s the reason I\u2019m here.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome others didn\u2019t want to do it because they didn\u2019t think it would be good preparation but I saw it as the opposite. It\u2019s a good opportunity to get some race practices in. For me, in the keirin, the Commonwealth Games I\u2019ve only ridden the keirin once.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really need to get some more experience because I want to go to the Games competitive in all events, not just the team sprint, so something like this has a lot of positives in it.\u201d<\/p>\n
After years of setbacks, Truman feels like he is approaching his best form again at just the right time.<\/p>\n
He surprised himself with a time of 59.092 in the one kilometre time trial at the World Championships in Glasgow in August, narrowly missing out on a medal.<\/p>\n
I think I’ve got a point to prove but I’m just going out to make myself better. If for the next eight months I can go into every week smashing it, doing whatever I can, leaving no stone unturned, then I’ve nowhere to hide really<\/p>\n
At the opening round of the Champions League in Mallorca last month, he made it to the semi-finals of the sprint and came out of the night in fourth place overall in the men\u2019s sprint standings.<\/p>\n
Although there was disappointment a week later in Berlin, Truman will approach Paris this weekend with optimism before his primary target \u2013 the closing two rounds in London on November 10-11.<\/p>\n
And Truman said the competition, which is an invitation-only event based on results, was a good environment to try new things.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s a big occasion, televised worldwide and good crowds, especially in London where I want to show my nose, but it\u2019s a strange mix \u2013 you\u2019re not expecting much from yourself physically but mentally you want to go well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe best training is when you\u2019ve got a number on your back. That\u2019s when you get the best out of yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n