Cyclist Wendy Houvenaghel might be focused on her bid for Olympic glory, but the 37-year-old is also thinking about her career post-games by keeping up with her dentists training. As well as completing the required amount of professional development to remain on the register, Wendy has been helping out around the Olympic village after several of her GB team mates ran into difficulties with their teeth.
‘There have been a few situations where people in the team have had wisdom teeth problems and I’ve been able to give them a bit of advice to help them but I have not done anything hands on just yet.’ Wendy explained, adding that dentistry was taking a back seat while she concentrates on her Olympic campaign; ‘I’ve been preparing for this event for six years so I will give it everything I’ve got. After that, I’ll assess what I’m doing. I’ll probably continue to compete throughout the rest of the season and consider my options afterwards.’
It appears that Wendy is still enthusiastic about a career in dentistry as she has been keeping up with her training, without knowing when she will take it up full time. ‘Every year, you have to complete so many hours to stay on the register,’ she says, ‘I have been doing that by attending and completing courses in the south-west during my off-season between April and September over the last five or six years.’