Paralympic Champion Lucas ready for racing comeback
Paralympic champion Helena Lucas will be putting a 'whirlwind' seven months behind her when she steps back into 2.4mR action for the first time since winning 2012 gold at next week's ISAF Sailing World Cup in Hyeres, France (22-27 April).
Lucas, who was crowned Britain's first Paralympic sailing champion since the sport became part of the full Paralympic Games programme in 2000, will be back in competition for the first time since her triumphant display in Weymouth and Portland last summer, and admitted she's looking forward to getting her 2016 campaign underway.
"It's bizarre because in some ways [the Games] does seem like ages ago, but when you think it's actually more than half a year, it's like 'wow'!" the 37-year-old explained. "So much has happened since then, it has been a whirlwind. I don't think I've really had time to stop and absorb it all!"
"I think after all the hype off the back of winning my gold medal, I feel like I'm ready to get my feet back down on the ground and start going sailing and back to the slightly more 'familiar' parts of my life - focussing on sailing and training and all that goes with that!"
Although Lucas achieved her ultimate dream by winning Paralympic gold in front of her home crowd last year, the lure of gold in Rio remains as strong as ever, and she feels she has plenty more left in the tank.
"There wasn't any hesitation as to whether to continue [to Rio] or not, because we just felt there was so much more to do," said the Portland-based, Redhill-born sailor.
"We'd run out of time [for London], but there was more to give, more to do and it just seemed like such a shame to throw everything away that we'd already done without having gone down the other alleyways that we hadn't had the chance to explore for 2012.
"That's the trouble with sailing campaigns - there's never enough time! It's your biggest enemy!" laughed Lucas, whose silver medal at the 2012 Hyeres World Cup sealed her selection to ParalympicsGB.
"It'll be really good to just get back out there on the water and see everybody again. I haven't seen the other 2.4mR sailors for a little while so it'll be nice to see all those faces and just get back into the routine of things.
"My aim for the week is just really to focus on the racing and tactics and getting settled back into it again. It's been a while, but I'm hoping it'll be like riding a bike!"
