Sprint canoeist Liam Heath insists he is fully focused on victory at the forthcoming European Games in Baku but admits the lure of Rio is becoming harder to ignore.
Heath and K2-200m sprint partner Jon Schofield have enjoyed a solid start to the season with World Cup bronze in Duisburg and gold in Copenhagen.
The pair have been together since 2010 for five years and have enjoyed plenty of success throughout the years with bronze at London 2012 a standout highlight.
Next up is a trip to Azerbaijan for the European Games where they will look to maintain their solid form and hope it will translate into gold at the inaugural edition of the competition.
With Rio edging ever-closer Heath admits it can be easy to get caught up in the excitement of the Olympics but insists he and Schofield are prepared for the task at hand.
“We had a couple of really good weekends where we got positive results and it is always nice to come out with a couple of good performances,” he said.
“Having been together for such a long time the key for us is really the consistency that we have built up.
“We don’t do too much differently and maybe only change the odd thing here or there and that helps us produce solid performances.
“I think Baku is a really great opportunity for us to go and compete at another multi-sport event and we are both really looking forward to it.
“It was always something that we were keen to be a part of and it is right where our European Championships would be so it’s perfectly timed.
“Of course it’s easy to look ahead to Rio and get distracted but I think it’s important to always be focused on what is in front of you and for us that is gold in Baku.”
© Sportsbeat 2015