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Posted on 21 December 2013

Bird’s Nest News

Bird’s Nest News

Great Britain’s Harry Gillam and Lloyd Wallace are in Beijing preparing for the World Cup in the Bird’s Nest Stadiums. The stadium, built for the summer Olympics, has been transformed into the ultimate winter playground with a massive ski jump built of scaffolding and lighting & staging more often found at a rock concert than a ski competition. It’s unlike any venue ever seen on the World Cup circuit as it hosts the first of a series of annual events presented by Audi in the run up to the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Korea.

Harry and Lloyd are soaking up the atmosphere on their first visit to China and have managed to give us some insight on their trip so far.

This from Harry:

“Amazing city and stoked to have a couple of days to enjoy it. China is loads of fun, really busy and cold. We went out and about to day and they took us the Sacred Temples. Awesome! Loads of photos but you’ll have to wait. Tomorrow will be even better I’m actually going to the Great Wall!!

Starting training today in the Birds Nest, its going to be awesome! The stage they have created is like something in a rock concert, its going to be a World Cup to remember.

Training has been scheduled for late afternoon and evening so it gives us time in the morning for a work out and chance to enjoy Beijing. It was just a stop over here when we arrived on the way to Beida Lake, but now I’m back in Beijing and checking out the sites and the amazing wonders of the world that china has to offer before training starts!

We got chance to check out the stadium yesterday – well, we got to look at the airsite from a distance – I think they’re introducing us to it slowly! LOL 🙂 The ramps are looking good and they are chopping the landing hill every three jumps. It’s a huge site and it’s going to be really different when its full of people.

We got to do our first jumps today, it was good…the snow is a bit weird but then it’s been man-made, the transition is ok and ramps good. The landing hill just gives a small bit so doesn’t feel solid, but it’s all good. Jumped Lay-Full and Full-Full today to get used to the hill and tomorrow will be moving up to triples. Speed checking triples is going to be sketch on several different levels! Now I’ve started jumpin’ it feels ok and helps get the nerves under control.

We didn’t finish training until 21.30, so it was a rush to get straight back to the hotel as food finishes at 22.00. The day had been good, the lift felt a bit sketchy it was a cage climber like we have on building sites in the UK and there weren’t as many side rails around as I thought there would be! It’s all ok tho as long as you don’t look over the side! When you get up to the top in the lift there’s about a metre flat and then you can stand on the in-run. I thought being in the middle of a huge stadium would feel strange, but because you’re so high up you don’t actually notice it unless you’re tempted to look over the edge! (*note to self…don’t look over the edge!)

The building is awesome; it must have been really something to come here and compete at the Olympic Games when it was new. It’s in need of some TLC right now, but it was fun running the track that Usain Bolt ran in the Olympics and got his double sprint medals – I can now say I’ve been there and done it! What
inspiration!

Harry and Lloyd will be competing in the iconic Bird’s Nest Stadium on Sunday 22nd December, aiming to secure selection to TeamGB for the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi 2014.