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Nicole Cooke`s Commonwealth Games Diary

Above: Here is the view from our balcony looking over the Akshardham Temple!!

I slept well and took the trip to Food Hall for breakfast where everything seemed great and there was a good range of food on offer. Back at our apartment, I met Becky James who had won Bronze in the 500m TT on Tuesday and she helped explain the basics about our accommodation and other tips on life in the village.  I unpacked, started getting settled into my room and saw our team's cycling kit for the first time. It was waiting for me on my bed and like Christmas, I opened it all up!

As I put my bike together, there was footage of the Track Cycling events on our television in the room so I got the rollers out and did a session on the balcony watching the Track racing. The rest of the road girls arrived and everyone was in good spirits. We went on a tour of the Village with Joy, a Team Wales staff member and it looked like it was going to be an exciting time here with all the nation's accommodation nice and close together and lots of facilities like an recreational pool and training venue inside the Village as well as an International Zone with lots of shops and activities.

Thursday 7 October - Day 2 in Delhi
We went training on the circuit on the Noida Express Way which was also the venue of the Time Trial event on Wednesday 13 October. It was quite a long exertion to do with two hours training plus as many hours added to the bus journey there and back. The 8km stretch of the motorway was closed every day and was the only road training venue available so there were many cyclists from most nations doing a variety of training from practise efforts for the Time Trial to recovery rides. I know it has been hot so far but that day confirmed that for me. It was 36 degrees out there and I knew the heat was certainly going to be a factor on race days.  After getting back to the Village, I took a short nap and then took it easy for the rest of the day as I knew we'd be having another long trip out to recce the road race circuit.

Congratulations to Becky James on the Silver Medal today in the women's sprint, Excellent!

Friday 8 October – Day 3 in Delhi
I woke up around 7am on Friday morning and as I looked out from our rooms, I saw that outside our Athlete Village, there was a game of cricket taking place on the fields adjacent to our village. It was an unexpected sight and good to see that sport plays a part in everyday life of normal Indians. That day I felt that if we were going to ride the course on Saturday, I would have an easy day and do my training on the rollers like Wednesday outside on our balcony. This went fine and most of the girls had the same idea.

What we did not account for was the heat, about 30 minutes after I had finished, Lily was next on the rollers and the rubber band had melted to the roller and we had to pull it off and bring the rollers inside to let them cool down! I had a massage afterwards and took it easy for the rest of the day.

After an early dinner, I went to the International Zone to see the games rooms and amphitheatre style stage where a band was setting up for their performance later in the evening. I went and had a chat to the band members and they were very friendly and happy to show me their bass and guitar, and let me have a quick play. I’ve recently begun learning to play the guitar and it was great to have a glimpse of what it might be like to perform on stage at concerts! As it started to get dark, the features lighted up and it was a great view over the nightscape outside the village. Back at our accommodation, I found out the course recce had been cancelled and no one would be able to see our course until the race on Sunday! This was a surprise to everyone and something we just have to accept as it will be the same for all the competitors.

Saturday 9 October – Day 4 in Delhi
With no course recce possible, we rode on the access road to the village for our training session today. There were armed guards lining our 1km circuit up to the main roundabout and back to the Village entrance and we were still in the safety bubble. It was mainly an easy ride with each of us doing a couple of sprints or efforts to keep the legs sharp ready for our race tomorrow.

Above: The biggest flag of a Dragon I've ever seen!

That afternoon we had our race meeting to work out our plan for the race and go through logistics and timings. I had a fair idea what to expect having seen some DVD footage of the course taken last year although I was ready for anything to happen and plans to change. I think we had a good team going into the race and knew we'd certainly be going for it!

Monday 11 October - Day 6 in Delhi
After waking up that morning, I reflected on my ride yesterday, knowing that I had given my best in the race and even though it was not a result worthy of being on the podium, it was a great ride and after my 4th place at the World Championships the week before, I was pleased to end my season on a positive note. 

Now was the time to take a short break from the structured life of a full time athlete and what a great place to be for end of season activities! I wanted to make the most of being surrounded by world class sport so the night before, Lily, Kara, Angharad and I went to support the Welsh athletes at the Athletics and it was great to see Dai Greene win Wales first Gold medal of the Games in the 400m Hurdles and Rhys Williams take Bronze.

Christian Malcolm progressed to the 200m final to be held that night and there were other great results for the Welsh athletes too. The stadium was incredible and I was really impressed by the lighting and roof. The crowd was probably about half capacity which was a little disappointing but the Indians did make up for it with huge cheers any time an Indian athlete threw, jumped or ran! I think it helped because two Indian competitors set personal bests!  If it is like this in London 2012, then it will be huge for the home competitors!  By the time we returned to the Village, a party had started at the International Zone and we naturally joined in and met up with our team mates, fellow cyclists and made lots of new friends too!

I also spent a wonderful day at the Rugby 7's with Angela our Rugby mad physio who was able to give me lots of pointers and background on the players and the sport as this was my first time watching.  It was interesting to see the different styles of playing from well developed nations like England and New Zealand who did a lot of tackling compared to teams new to Rugby 7s like Kenya and Guyana who liked to run. I was mesmerized by the Samoan rugby team and cheered for them when Wales were not playing.  Wales were going into the next days knock out stage against New Zealand and I wished the guys all the best for their match - go get it!

Wednesday 12 October - Day 8 in Delhi
This was the day I went on a fantastic trip yesterday to one of the wonders of the world, The Taj Mahal. I was up early to leave the village at 6.00am with other Games athletes and team officials and I experienced some of the best qualities of India's organisation and natural beauty. The Palace was breathtaking with its architecture and everything was done with a plumb line and a hammer and chisel. We were able to take in the atmosphere and as we travelled around, I got to know other members of our group and created new friendships with fellow athletes.

I also had another great cultural experience when Team Wales was invited to a local school who gave us a very warm welcome. They had created a huge Welsh Flag in the main entrance out of flower petals and each of us was presented with a 'Mala' chain of flowers around our necks as we entered which made me feel very welcome and helped create a bond between us and the school children straight away.

The children performed 5 Indian songs with dances using a mixture of Indian and International instruments to create a vibrant sound which filled the room. I really enjoyed it and then we were able to speak with the children and teachers after the performance, find out about their lives and their ambitions for the future and give them gifts from Wales to remember our special morning together.

After the school visit, I went straight to see the Women's Hockey Final Australia v New Zealand with some members of the Welsh Hockey team. It was a thrilling match going to extra time and then penalties and to be able to see the action live was great especially being able to ask the Hockey girls any questions or hear their insights in to the match. I then went back to the village and it was time for some relaxing so I went to the recreational pool and swam a few lengths in the evening before meeting up with cycling friends who had competed in the Time Trial and heard about their results and stories of the day.

Thursday 14 October - Day 9 In Delhi
I couldn't believe this was my last day. I'd been having such a good time that time had been flying by! The first thing I had to do that day was pack my bags so that after the closing ceremony, I would be able to come back and be in a position to leave at 4am without any mad panics. That went well and I had time to go to the Netball Final, again Australia v New Zealand. 

It was one of the best sporting events I've seen, the quality of the technical skills was superb and with some insights from the Kiwis I was sitting with about their country's players strengths and weaknesses, I could see how the match was becoming very tactical with players being marked out or set up for play.  Going into the last few minutes, NZ had a few goals lead before Australia started coming back and in the last minute drew level, again like in the hockey yesterday it was going to be extra time. 

I was sitting with Jo Kiesanowski and we were both going berserk screaming at the players urging them on, both teams continued on with excellent play and still so evenly matched with only a goal between them as each time one team would score and the other team equalise. Then, NZ had a break and were going to shoot for a 2 goal advantage to win the game, the noise was deafening and the shooter didn't even pause as she netted the winning goal!  Both sets of supporters had backed their country all the way and it was a real privilege to be part of.

There was barely enough time to catch my breath and I was on the bus back to the village for a quick change ready for the Closing ceremony. We left around 5pm and went to the Stadium. It was still light when we arrived as one of the first teams there and as dusk came and the evening drew in, the lights and atmosphere started to build. All the athletes gathered ready to walk in to the Stadium and this time it was full to the rafters, the sounds was a constant roar and it was just a wonderful way to finish these Commonwealth Games, surrounded by team mates and friends and share these great experiences.

Good bye and Thank you Delhi for such wonderful memories !!

For more information and news  on Nicole please visit www.nicolecooke.com