A NEW Year usually means a new challenge but for pentathlete Georgina Harland 2005 will give her the chance to get her life back to normal.

The 26-year-old from Waltham, near Canterbury, took a superb bronze in the women’s modern pentathlon at the Athens Olympics and admits life since has been pretty unusual.

From the moment the Great Britain squad touched down back on home soil at Gatwick, the successful athletes have been feted up and down the country and Harland is no different.

Along with the other medallists she took part in an open-top parade in London which attracted thousands and then attended a reception hosted by the Queen.

Closer to home the Canterbury-born athlete was honoured with a civic reception by the city council and, with kayak bronze medallist Ian Wynne, from Hildenborough, she was a guest of honour for Kent’s final floodlit totesport National Cricket League game with Northamptonshire.

Made an honorary life member of the City of Canterbury Swimming Club, Harland has even been asked to open shops in Bath - her training base - and admits she has been amazed at the number of people who now recognise her.

The former east Kent Pony Club member, who spent the holiday period with her family at Handville Green, explained: "The four months since Athens have been fantastic. I’ve had a really good time going to lots of different events and speaking to lots of different people.

"To be part of the London parade was brilliant and to go to Buckingham Palace was even more amazing. It was such an honour to meet the Queen and I also got to speak to Prince Philip and Princess Anne.

"That was great but I always enjoy coming back to Canterbury, because it is where my roots are, and it was special being able to go to the cricket so soon after returning from Athens."

Harland admitted she never expected her success to attract such overwhelming attention, but hopes the publicity will be good for her sport.

"You plod away for four years doing your training way down in Bath and focusing only on your event. You do make sacrifices. You don’t get to see your friends as much as you’d like, which is why the last few months have been so great.

"There have been a few incidences where people have recognised me either in a shop or in the street and that has probably been the most bizarre thing.

"We were even at the Cathedral the other week for a carol service and sitting next to us was a Greek family who recognised me. But that sort of thing is good for the sport. It’s good for the pentathlon to get some recognition.

"So many kids watch the Olympic Games and get completely mesmerised by it all. Hopefully they’ll want to emulate the success we’ve enjoyed and if just one youngster decides they want to try the sport then it will be great."

The four months since Athens is the longest period Harland has gone without training but she knows the turn of the year means the hard work must start again in earnest.

The August World Championships in Warsaw, Poland, are her primary objective in 2005, but she will not draw up the rest of her programme until she has spoken to her coaches.

The next Olympics in Beijing remain the long-term goal and as Harland begins a new four-year training cycle, she says she is ready for it.

Once back into her routine she will train six days a week, often for anything up to eight hours at a time and admits it helps she has the full support of her boyfriend, Charlie Seccombe, a hockey player with Bath Buccaneers.

She added: "I’ve really enjoyed the last four months. It’s given me the chance to live the sort the life I’m not normally able to.

"The medal is with me all the time because I feel it’s there to be shared but after January 1 I will have a new focus. I have to leave behind what happened in Athens and keep it as a nice memory.

"I’ve still got things I want to achieve. The gold was my aim in Athens and it will be the same for Beijing but I know the hard work starts here."