Olympic Thunderstorms

I was ready today, so I’d be ready tomorrow. The Olympics is a new experience to me, I have felt more relaxed because I am prepared; fully prepared. More times than I could remember, either as a student or athlete I have been wanting more time to allow myself be better prepared, often wishing for another day, maybe a week. This time these feeling are nowhere to be found.

I can finally empathise with Frank Gallagher in one of his memorable one liners from the series Shameless “failing to prepare is preparing to fail”.

After racing was postponed, it was back to the hotel for the night and racing was scheduled for the 15.20 the next day. Getting down to the boat for racing I was probably even more eager to take this first uncertain step. I knew our training times were of a high standard but putting other boats alongside changes things, you’re not racing the clock anymore.

The start being the most frantic part of the race and the easiest place to loose ground, I was relieved when the first strokes felt long and powerful yet smooth and efficient once we settled into our rhythm I could feel the other boats either side of us and Pretty soon I could see the other boats slipping behind. Our coaches Mark banks from Rochdale and John West had stated enough times that our race pace rowing was fast and at this point they had proved it to me. Coming through the 1000m mark we pushed out further each stroke and remaining strong through to the finish, qualifying for the Olympic final on Sunday.

Looking forward to Sunday and using the days between now and then it is crucial for us to carry on making the improvements to our technique and squeeze every bit of speed we can out of ourselves and boat. I’m pleased to have qualified for the final with a good row in the heat but it’ll stand for nothing if we don’t continue to develop ahead of the final on Sunday, where the final and most important step takes place.