MacDonald and Fouhy have been working together informally for a few months but it is only in recent weeks that both have understood the need for the former Olympic gold medalist to become a fulltime coach to the Auckland based athlete as he embarks on the road to Beijing in August.

“Ben and I started working together on a few things as far back as post the 2006 World Championships but it is only in recent times that I have realized the need to make a fulltime commitment,” said MacDonald.

“While I understand the training programmes and coaching required in such a relationship I like to think of myself as more than a coach to Ben, I am someone who has been where he is and where he is going. I understand the highs and lows of such an Olympic quest and the total commitment required from all around him if he is to achieve his goals. More than a coach, I like to think of myself in this relationship as something of a ‘wing man’, someone who is there alongside Ben every step of the way.”

That commitment has not come lightly with MacDonald handing in his notice at previous employer ORCA and focusing 100% on Ben’s build up to Beijing. MacDonald stresses that he is just one part of the equation and is joining forces with an athlete who has already scaled the heights in his sport.

“This is not about me, it is about a team effort all focused on Ben peaking and performing at his best in Beijing in August. Both the GP2 regatta in Australia last weekend and the New Zealand Nationals in early March are important racing opportunities. But for Ben each of these events is nothing more or less than a step along the way to Beijing and while not insignificant in their own right, form just a part of the overall big picture and plan that we are working to.”

The relationship was forged in an unusual way with a phone call from a fellow Kayaker the catalyst to Fouhy and MacDonald joining forces. A rival had phoned Ben asking for Paul’s phone number. The reason said the caller was to ask Paul if he would coach him this year. Ben took time to reflect on that and thought ‘bugger it, I’ll ask him to coach me first’, and so the partnership was born.

Fouhy believes the partnership feels right, and for a man not known for rash decisions, that is endorsement enough.

“It just feels like this is how it should be and encouraging for my campaign – no more than that, it is a huge boost ahead of Beijing. To have Paul alongside me is to have someone who has been to the mountain top already, someone who knows the pressure internal and external that an athlete will face.

“By having Paul on the water he is able to monitor my technique and form and get a better read of how I am reacting and how I am coping, giving him so much more insight than a coach who might be on the bank or behind a desk. That too gives me great confidence.”

The pair wasted no time in putting that partnership under the microscope with stage one of a busy training and racing campaign in Australia in mid February. The two made a ‘smash and grab’ trip to Australia to continue training but also to race at the GP2 regatta at Penrith’s Olympic facility.

Next stop then is the New Zealand Nationals on March 1st and 2nd (results not known at the time of going to print). MacDonald is quick to stress that results are not expected immediately, all the work being done is with Beijing in mind.

“Penrith was the first racing of any kind for Ben this year and he is currently clocking up some huge mileage as he builds a base for what is to come later on. He did not taper at all for Penrith and won’t taper much for nationals but will still be expecting to meet a few of our own targets during racing. That is the key, they are our targets and part of the longer term plan, not anyone else’s’ idea of what and how things should be done.”

MacDonald knows that for an athlete to perform at their very best on any one given day requires so much more than a good training focus. The distractions for any world class athlete are numerous and can easily side track the best in the business.

It is that added experience as an athlete that MacDonald brings to the relationship that could well be crucial to Ben’s performance in Beijing.

“Unless you have been there and done that as an athlete at an Olympic Games it is truly difficult to appreciated just how tough it is physically and mentally to get it right on the day. And that is what this partnership is about, that is our goal. Not to win a gold medal or put a result driven expectation out there, it is about Ben’s performance on the day.

“Our goal is to get to Beijing and have Ben race as quickly as he can on the day, give all he has to give and be at his very best on the day - that is our ultimate goal. We cannot be concerned with what others will do at Beijing; we can only control our own performance.

“To do that efficiently means doing it our way and not being pressured by outsiders’ expectations or sidetracked by the circus that the Olympics can be if you let it. Ben and I know what works for him and what he needs to focus on between now and Beijing. I am here to ride shotgun throughout the ride and be a buffer for Ben to the outside world in some ways. Both Ben and I have been there done that and know what we have to do to succeed.”

As is often the case for an Olympic athlete focused on performing at their optimum level, a strong support team is in place to allow that focus.

Underpinning Ben is the support of Pitney Bowes. General Manager Graeme Markwick is someone who has invested both personal and professional time and money into Ben Fouhy and is committed through to the Olympics.

“In our opinion Kayaking is a sport that is one of high performance, technique and precision. Those performance indicators link back to Pitney Bowes in the mail stream industry in so much as we base our business on the same principles. Pitney Bowes process, create and finish mail processing systems and are very much high performance, technical and highly focused. Through precision we get high performance solutions, in many ways this is no different to Ben.

“To go back to the start of the relationship, I thought it frustrating to see a guy standing on the dais at Athens with a lot of fire in the belly. He is a fiercely determined athlete but it is a long time between games without financial support. I thought can we help this athlete, build a relationship and help him achieve his goals. We are doing just that and proud to be associated with Ben.”

Manager and friend Mark Watson is a triathlon coach, mentor, personal manager and Tri NZ Director and knows a thing or two about high performance, counting Cameron Brown as a good friend and training partner (and client).

Watson says having the right support structures in place are key to any athletes chances of success at the top level.

“These days no athlete can go out and do it all on their own. With the pressures of media, sponsor commitments, revenue generation and scheduling it is almost impossible to keep your mind on training and racing. Hence Ben has the right person in Paul to allow him to do what he does like very few people in the world, paddle a kayak bloody fast.