Non Stanford column: Kitting out is exciting, and so is the football

Non Stanford was selected as part of the Team GB triathlon squad for Rio 2016

I'm really excited for the kitting out for the Olympics - it's definitely one of the perks for Team GB, not all the other countries have a kitting out like we have.

A lot of them just get sent a bag of kits so it's a really unique part of being on this team and it will definitely get us excited and make us feel like we're part of the team going forward.

My preparations for Rio are going really well.

I had a bit of a blip a couple of weeks ago in Leeds. I was hoping to race a bit better there but things don't always go to plan.

I have to re-evaluate and move on. I'm looking forward to racing again in the ITU series race in Stockholm on Saturday, as that will be the last race before the games.

Pushing on from Leeds

Non Stanford finished in 9th place in the ITU World Triathlon event in Leeds on 12 June

Hopefully I can have a good hit out in Stockholm and rectify some of the mistakes and problems that I had in Leeds when I finished ninth.

There were a few issues, I had a pretty terrible swim which was unexpected.

Training has been going really well but sometimes these things happen.

There's no excuse for it. I've had a few weeks to think of what might have happened. I just want to go out in Stockholm and rectify that and have a good race there.

It's a quality field and it's a series that brings out some of the top in the field. It will be an opportunity for me, Vicky Holland and Helen Jenkins to actually race together before the games.

It will be fun to race with them and see what we can do as a team. Everything is building towards Rio and from Stockholm we're going to go on to St Moritz which is our final big camp before we head out.

I'm absolutely looking at a podium again and you always do when you start a world series race, that's the aim. For me it will be to build on Leeds and progress from there, really.

Allaying fears of the Zika virus

We're surrounded by a fantastic medical team and we're constantly being updated on anything that comes through on the Zika virus.

I have a lot of confidence in the medical team that they will make smart decisions for us. They would never send us anywhere or let us go anywhere where there was a huge threat to our health.

At the moment I don't think that threat is too bad, especially as I'm not planning on having a family myself in the next few years, that's the worry of a lot of the athletes and staff travelling.

For me personally at the minute, I'm confident in the decisions that the British medical team are making for us.

Watching Wales in the Euros

Wales play Belgium in the Euro 2016 quarter finals on Friday evening

Everyone's talking about the fact that Wales have got to the quarter finals of Euro 2016 and England haven't, but I think the focus should really be on the fact that Wales have done it.

Regardless of how England or any of the other home nations are doing, it's an incredible achievement when you look at where Wales have come from in the past 10 years.

Everyone is really proud of them and I think that's why the nation has really got behind it and is excited about what's happening.

Anything that happens from now on is an absolute bonus. Hopefully they can ride this crest of success with the excitement behind it and that can put them forward to at least the next round.

If we make the semi-finals then that will be quite the achievement.

I'll try my best to watch Wales play Belgium on Friday night. I'm in Sweden for the ITU World Triathlon event so if I can tune in, that will be fantastic.

We'll see what the Swedish football fans are demanding.

Belgium are going to be a tough team, they're gaining momentum as the tournament progresses.

It's a tough call but the way the boys have been playing so far, I think they can walk away with another win to get them to the semi-final.

Non Stanford was speaking to BBC Wales Sport's Jay Freeman.

Sign up to My Sport to follow triathlon news and reports on the BBC app.