By GREG YANDA

WHEN Lachie Milne and Mark Bellofiore head to the Beijing Olympics, they will be harbouring a desire to right some wrongs from the 2004 Athens Games.

Competing in the Men’s C2 Canoe Slalom, the Whitewater Warriors hopes were washed away in Athens, but they now have Olympic experience on their side as they aim for a podium finish.   

“We made a mistake at the bottom of the course on the second run and it cost us a spot in the semifinal which was a bit disappointing, but I guess the experience that we’ve got now will let us give a better performance,” said Milne, who turns 30 the day after the games. “It’s a very technical sport and there are a lot of variables that are hard to control when you’re out in the whitewater. Athens and Beijing have both got big whitewater courses and a very small technical error can lead to a huge mistake.”

Bellofiore similarly believes their 2004 early elimination was a steep learning curve.

“The whole Olympic experience and atmosphere in Athens will mean we are able to perform better in Beijing,” the 25-year-old said.

Hoping to ensure a better result in August, the Whitewater Warriors have addressed issues in the water and between their ears.

“We have been working with sports psychologist Richard Bennett and he has given us assistance with improving our strategies on race day and particularly our performances in semi-finals and finals,” Milne said. “I think that we will be able to manage our nerves and control our performance better than we have in the past.”

Away from the rough and tumble of whitewater slalom, Australia’s top-ranked team put down their helmet and paddles to pick up scalpels and calculators as they pursue careers in medicine and finance.

Bellofiore is a chartered accountant with Pricewaterhouse Coopers and Milne is a registered doctor at Nepean Hospital, working to become an orthopedic surgeon.

“We made sure that throughout our career we’ve still studied and finished our degrees and now have work experience, as well as competed internationally,” Bellofiore said.

The team would like to acknowledge the tremendous support they receive from the Australian Institute of Sport, Australian Olympic Committee and the NSW Institute of Sport in their
Olympic campaign.