Medal wins despite gap in training due to virus

Masterton kayaker Anne Cairns was pleasantly surprised by her results at the national flat water championships in Rotorua last weekend.
Having managed only six weeks of serious training after being laid low by a debilitating virus, which had her bedridden for more than a week and unable to exercise for a further six weeks, Cairns wasn't expecting anything special so to return home with one silver and three bronze medals was satisfying, to say the least.
Cairns, 29, combined with Mary-Anne Archer, of Wellington, and Christchurch duo Megan Brooker and Bianca Teague, to finish second in the K4 500m fours and third in the K4 200m fours. She and Archer were also third in the K2 200m and 500m pairs. In her individual events, she made the top 10 in both the K1 500m and K1 200m races, placing eighth in the former and seventh in the latter.
Having gone to Rotorua unsure of where her fitness levels were at, Cairns was pleased to find that while she lacked her usual sharpness, she was still competitive enough to measure up to the country's best flat water exponents.
''Obviously it would have been nice to have had a longer and more intense build-up but these things happen, you just have to grin and bear it,'' she said.
''Maybe the results could have been better but they could have been a lot worse too!''
Her lack of fitness is, however, the main reason why Cairns has decided to withdraw from trials for the New Zealand flat water kayaking team this weekend and she will now focus on peaking for the world down river kayaking championships to be held in Spain in early June.
Down river racing is her main strength and Cairns is keen to improve on the seventh placing she recorded at the last worlds in Italy two years ago.
There is, however, still the possibility she won't get that chance as she will have to pay her own way to Spain and desperately needs sponsorship to at least alleviate the costs of her airfares.
''Hopefully we can get over that hurdle, I'd certainly love to hear from anybody who can help out,'' she said.
Kayaking is not the only sport in which Cairns has excelled. Surf lifesaving is another interest and while she hasn't competed seriously for three years, she is hoping to make an impact when representing a Hawke's Bay club in double and single ski events at the national championships, starting on March 14.
In 2007, Cairns won the double ski national title and was third in the single ski and while she knows a repeat of that sort of form on this occasion might be asking a bit much after such a lengthy break she is looking forward to the challenge.
''A lot of the best kayakers will be there, it should be great fun,'' she said.