She spent the last six months helping to mastermind the battle against insurgents in the heat and dust of the Afghan desert – but now Moray’s golden girl Heather Stanning is itching to get back on to the water.
The Olympic champion is just back from a gruelling tour of duty in Helmand province and, while her fellow soldiers grab the chance to relax and unwind, she has her sights set firmly on the start line at Rio.
The 28-year-old Army officer, who grew up in Lossiemouth, has been forced to train on rowing machines at Camp Bastion to keep in shape, but is now focused on winning a place at the 2016 Games in the Team GB trials later this month.
Captain Stanning, who made history during London 2012 when she and teammate Helen Glover became the first British women rowers to win Olympic gold, said she was eager to get back into a boat after the grime of Afghanistan.
“It was pretty hot and dusty, and when the sand storms came up you could really feel the dust in your lungs. It was challenging,” she said.
“I was based in Camp Bastion, and there are a few good gyms there so I had the kit to keep fit.
“I’ve spent an awful lot of time on the rowing machine in the last six months and I’m looking forward to getting back on the water.”
As a battery operations officer, it was her job to plan and manage the operations of the British Army’s “eye-in-the-sky” unmanned aircraft, which provide intelligence for Allied and Afghan troops on the ground.
And while her fitness levels are a little short of the standard required for international competition, the former Gordonstoun pupil said she believed focusing on something different had been good for her overall wellbeing.
“I think it’s healthy for the body and mind to have a break,” she added.
“The plan is to get back to being a full-time athlete by the end of the year.
“I don’t know when I last saw a vast expanse of water.”
Her triumph in the coxless pairs resulted in Team GB’s first gold medal of London 2012 and sparked an extraordinary winning streak for the home nation.
But while the rest of the country basked in the reflected glory of the victorious sportsmen and women, Capt Stanning returned to her career with the Royal Artillery.
After intensive pre-deployment training and specialist work with the unmanned air systems she went to Afghanistan in April this year.
She said it had been satisfying to be able to serve her country as thousands of British troops prepare to withdraw this year in readiness for the departure of all Nato combat forces by the end of 2014.
Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Peter Wall, said: “The Army is about people who work hard and play hard. Heather Stanning is the ultimate example – Olympic gold last year, on the front line this year. Amazing.”
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