BRISTOL bob skeleton racer Ed Smith has quit his day job as an electrician in a bid to land a gold medal at the next Winter Olympics.
Smith, 26, has made rapid progress since first taking up the sport as part of the Great Britain talent identification programme just three years ago.
The Easton-based slider has in that time risen from the ranks of the Great Britain Europa Cup squad to the verge of entering the elite World Cup squad that will contest the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia in 2014.
He has recently returned from his first taste of top flight international competition following a surprise inclusion into the Great Britain World Championships squad in February.
He made his debut with a 14th-placed finish at the Championships held in Lake Placid and has now decided to pursue an Olympic gold medal ambition by quitting his job of seven years at TB Worrall Ltd in Staple Hill to train full-time.
"I sat down with the Great Britain performance director when I came back from Lake Placid and we decided that it was time that I made a full-time commitment to the sport," Smith said.
"The Winter Olympics in Russia is only two years away and I have to take a gamble now if I'm to close the gap between where I am currently, and the best sliders in the world.
"It's a massive risk because financially it is going to be tough for me, which is why I'm spending a lot of time this summer building my profile and trying to get some sponsors on board.
"The risk would be all worth it, however, if I have an Olympic gold medal hanging around my neck in two years' time.
"The top guys in the world are class athletes, so if I want to compete with them I'm going to have to make the commitment and start training full-time.
"It's a big decision, but everybody is fully behind me. If there were people around me that doubted what I am capable of, then maybe I'd have second thoughts about what I was doing. To sacrifice what I'm sacrificing you have to believe it's worthwhile. If you never take a risk you'll never get anywhere in life."
Smith's impressive form over the season saw him finish third overall in the eight-race Intercontinental Cup series, which helped him elevate his world ranking up to 19th this year.
His next test comes at the British national selection races in October, where he will be given his first chance to compete for a spot on the World Cup Squad.
"I've got a summer of intensive training planned in order to be in the best shape of my life," Smith explained. "My first objective for next season is to finish in the top three at the Great Britain selection races so that I can secure my place on the World Cup squad."
Making his second appearance at the World Championships is also on the agenda for Smith. This time scheduled to take place at his favourite track – St Moritz in Switzerland next January.
"I'd love to go and experience the World Championships again," he said. "I'd never experienced competing in front of the TV cameras where there were really big, vocal crowds. It was a real shock to the system, but it has made me hungry for more.
"I was never really expected to qualify, and I only found out I'd done enough to make the team a week before the event. It was all a bit daunting, but the Great Britain coaches were fantastic and took a lot of the pressure off.
"It was great to be able to gauge myself against the best in the world. Where did I need to improve? Where don't I quite stack up?"
So, what did Smith learn from the experience? "My starts were a long way off the worlds best sliders and that is a massive disadvantage in skeleton," said Smith. The quality and speed of the first 30 metres you sprint before loading onto your sled can be the difference between whether you finish in the medal positions or not.
"It was a good wake-up call for me and made me realise that I couldn't hope to catch these guys unless I started training full-time. Doing it day-in-day-out gives me a great chance to close that gap quickly because there's no way I want to go to Sochi in two years time to only come back talking about finishing in 14th place."
Ed is seeking sponsors to help him in his build up to the 2014 Winter Olympics. For more information visit www.head-first-ed.com.co.uk.
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