WHEELCHAIR racer Luke Bailey is relishing the opportunity to race at international level with an Australian team in Switzerland this month.
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The 21-year-old from Wingham will contest the Swiss championships, an IPC Grand Prix and the Daniela Jutzeler Memorial, all in Nottwill. Bailey will leave for Switzerland on May 20 and return on June 7.
This is the first time he’s been overseas to race since 2014 when he took part in a half marathon in Japan, where he finished eighth.
However, Bailey no longer worries about the longer distances, preferring the 100 metre sprint.
“Just about every country that has wheelchair racing will be in Switzerland,’’ Bailey said.
“So this will give me a chance to test myself internationally. I don’t have a clue how I’ll go, but I’m looking forward to racing against the best.’’
Bailey heads to Newcastle once a week to work with his coach, Andrew Dawes. He trains most days a week at the criterium track at Taree Recreation Centre.
His personal best stands at 14.50 for the 100 metres. Bailey’s aim will be to improve this in Switzerland. He knows he’ll have to clock considerably faster if he wants to compete successfully on the world stage.
Injury cost him a chance to push his case for inclusion in the Australian team to take part in April’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
“I went to the trials in Canberra in January, but I injured my elbow and had to come home,’’ he explained to the Times in an earlier interview.
He understands a number of other athletes who were at the trials will be in the Australian side heading to Switzerland.
“It will be good to catch up with them – I haven’t seen them since January,’’ Bailey said.
He admits missing a chance to complete at the Commonwealth Games was the low point of his career. However, soon after he was informed by his coach that he was in the team to go to Switzerland.
Bailey isn’t sure how he would have fared on the Gold Coast had he made the cut.
“I really don’t know – with these things sometimes it just comes down to the day,’’ he said.
Longer term Bailey is aiming for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. He believes the experience he’ll gain in Switzerland will be important to achieving his goal.
Bailey’s also keen to do a bit of sightseeing while overseas, but isn’t sure how much spare time he’ll have between training and competing. However, he admits he isn’t looking forward to his first long haul flight.
“We leave on the Sunday afternoon and don’t get there to Monday afternoon – a long time in a plane,’’ he said.
