Counting down the days: The strain shows on the face of Eddie Cummings during the final workout before his fine victory at ebi 7. These are hard times for the athlete, with a mass of concerns centered around weight loss, strategy, countering the effects of performance anxiety and a host of other factors. Dealing with this is a huge part of the final outcome. As a coach I have to keep my athletes minds occupied in constructive, rather than destructive directions. Isolation and inactivity can be fatal here. Yet at the same time, I have to be sensitive to the individual psychology of the man entering the arena. Mr Cummings is rather like myself and needs his time alone balanced with attention. Here he ruminates after a grueling last day. In a few more days his taunt look would be replaced by a broad smile of victory under the lights at the big show, thousands of miles away from the sparse and claustrophobic basement in which all our preparation is done. @jeffreyschu
