Monday, December 21, 2009

By Greg Ford, Sunday Star Times in New Zealand

Dobbin a chance for Winter Olympics medal

Ashley Bright is a busy man. No time to waste. In two months' time he will send a rag-tag bunch of relative no-names to the Winter Olympics. He's "busy, busy, busy", so cuts to the chase when Shane Dobbin pops up in conversation.

"It is a story from the gods really," he explains.

"Talented athlete. Transferred across from inline skating to ice and within 18 months of international competition he is ranked 13th in the world. That says volumes about him as an athlete. It is an incredibly tough sport."

Heard of Dobbin? Not many have. He is, as the boss of the Winter Olympics team explained, a former inline world champion skater from Palmerston North.

To read the full article go to: http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/3179279/Dobbin-a-chance-for-Winter-Olympics-medal