REDLANDS-raised judo champion Arnie Dickins will have the hopes of the country on his mind when he represents Australia at the Commonwealth Games in Scotland this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
After he was knocked out in the first round of competition at the 2012 London Olympics, the 22-year-old is returning to the United Kingdom with a renewed confidence and a new weight division.
Since moving from the 66kg to 73kg division, Dickins has won a continental championship and scored silver in a world cup.
However, the shift has not been without its challenges.
"The people I'm fighting are a lot stronger than I am, so it makes it a tougher fight," he said.
"I have the advantage of being faster than them, but as my weight increases so does my strength."
Dickins flew to Canberra on July 1 to train with the rest of the team at the Australian Institute of Sport, before continuing to a training camp in Spain.
He said his nerves were in check at the moment, but believed that could change when he takes to the arena in Glasgow.
"There's no nerves at all right now, but we'll see what happens when I get over there."
Dickins has spent the past few months balancing training for the games with helping others improve their fitness in his job as a personal trainer.
The Cleveland State High School graduate is waiting to see how the Commonwealth Games unfold before considering a tilt at the 2016 Olympics, but said he plans to continue running Arnie's High Performance Training at Tingalpa.
"I'll see how my body holds up. I've already had a few injuries, so we'll see what happens during the games."
The Glasgow Commonwealth Games run fron July 23-August 4.