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Picture Cruickshank - happy in Olympic Village (Getty

CRUICKSHANK GEARING UP FOR THE GAMES

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By Mark Staniforth, PA Sport

  • PA Sport is following Great Britain downhill skier Roger Cruickshank throughout his build-up to next month's Winter Olympics in Turin.

    In his own weekly column RAF flying officer Cruickshank will reveal the highs and lows of life on the World Cup circuit as he seeks to fulfil one of his lifetime ambitions.

  • Due to IOC regulations, Roger is not permitted to supply his usual column for the duration of the Games. Instead he must submit to a question-and-answer session:

    HOW IS LIFE IN THE OLYMPIC VILLAGE?

    It is fantastic, it is everything I wished it would be and it is the sort of place where you feel at home straight away. I am sharing a room with Finlay Mickel and Noel Baxter and we have got a great team around us.

    The rooms are really quite nice, they are quite large and spacious, and the canteen is open 24 hours so we can go and eat whenever we want. We can see the downhill and Super-G courses from here.

    HOW ARE THE PREPARATIONS GOING?

    I had a bit of bad news when I arrived because I had not been feeling too well and went to see the doctor who sent me for an X-ray at the local hospital. They diagnosed sinusitis which explains why I have been feeling pretty lousy recently.

    But after everything I've been through there's no way anything is going to stop me now and I'm feeling a lot better every day.

    HOW DID THIS WEEK'S CANCELLATION OF THE WORLD CUP RACE AT CHAMONIX AFFECT YOU?

    Not a great deal although it was disappointing not to get the chance to race in such good company. I did OK on the training run before the fog came down which was a huge disappointment.

    But I had a lot of support because the British Ski Academy is based at Chamonix and we were invited to go and meet all the kids and sign stuff. We gave them our start numbers and in return they gave us some big cards wishing us luck for the Olympics.

    I did have one moment of panic in Chamonix because I was doing some stretching exercises with my physio Sandi Lyall when my right knee - which is not supposed to be my bad one - completely locked.

    I could see a small lump the size of a grape sticking out of my knee and I started to sweat, but once we'd rammed it back in it was fine. It may have been something connected with a previous injury but it is all OK now.

    AND HOW HAS THE LEFT KNEE BEEN COPING AFTER YOUR INJURY?

    My left knee is absolutely fine - although it caused no end of confusion when I was passing through the metal detector to get into the Olympic village.

    The Italian security guard could not understand why his wand kept buzzing when it went over my knee, and eventually I had to roll up my trouser leg and show him the scars where nine pins and a plate had been inserted.

    ANY NERVES?

    I am actually feeling calmer than usual because I have got here, whereas at Chamonix it was a different matter because it was a really tough course and I was worried my knee would pack in and not get me to the Olympics.

    I was speaking to my dad this week and he reminded me that when I was 10 years old I raced down a dry slope in Hillend near Edinburgh, and after reaching the bottom I told him, "I'm going to the Olympics one day." And here I am...

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