Athlete reactions on day three of racing

Day three of racing on the Sea Forest Waterway is done and dusted. Here’s what the athletes have to say as they progress forward to the next rounds.

Reaching the Olympic Final

The first step in winning an Olympic medal is to find the way into the A-final.

“We turned up today with a job to do and we did that. I’m really proud of those guys, how we attacked the race and we took it by the scruff of the neck like we said we would. And, yeah, you have to be in it to win it and now we’re in it.” Jack Beaumont, men’s quadruple sculls, Great Britain.

And sometimes the significance depends on the athlete’s past experience.

“For me it’s the second Olympic Games. In Rio, I was in the B final, so it’s super exciting to be in the A final right now. For Olga (Michalkiewicz) and Aska (Joanna Dittmann) it’s the first Olympic Games, so it’s exciting that they are in the A-final. And Monika Chabel she has a medal, so I think now she’s counting for the medal.” Maria Wierzbowska, women’s four, Poland.

But arriving at the A-final is not always easy. The Estonian men’s quadruple sculls had to qualify through the repechage race.

“It was very close. It was the last stroke. Technical work was a lot better than on the first race. We wouldn’t let the boat go, that was the hardest part in the first race.” Tonu Endrekson, men’s quadruple sculls, Estonia.

Handling disappointment

The racing does not always go as expected, hoped or desired. The athletes have to become accustomed to dealing disappointment.

The Polish women’s quadruple sculls had a disappointing heat and had to go through the repechage race.

“I think everything. Yesterday (Saturday) it was a very bad race for us, we couldn’t find ourselves in the boat. It was bad from the beginning to the end, we couldn’t row in the way we can. We knew that we had to change everything today and we did. That’s why we are in the A final.” Maria Wierzbowska, women’s four, Poland.

And the Irish men’s double sculls failed to reach the A-final, despite being defending world silver medallists.

“It’s disappointing for us because we have been hitting personal bests in training, and our performances in the lead up in the last few weeks have been really good, we were really happy with them. It’s hard not to reach your expectations, and it’s hard to come into this hoping for a performance and then come up short. We weren’t here just for the t-shirt, we were really here to try and bring something home. Obviously we haven’t lived up to that, and it’s something we’re struggling to come to terms with at the minute.” Philip Doyle, men’s double sculls, Ireland.

But disappointment can come as quite a shock to the system. The Canadian women’s double came second to Romania by eight seconds in their heat. And for Sevick, the reaction was intense.

“Panic. Complete questioning of self-worth. It was our first international race together and my first senior international regatta. I think it got to me a little bit. It was almost a good thing to happen, it kind of grounded us, and myself especially. It really just brought us down and made us focus on what we needed to do and what we’re good at.” Jessica Sevick, women’s double sculls, Canada.

The next round of racing

With the early rounds of racing done, athletes look to the next session.

“I just think we’re on it now, we know what we want, and we’re going to go out and get it. It’s kind of like, okay it’s an Olympic final. But I feel like in the heat you wake up and it’s the heat of the Olympics, you wake up today, it’s the rep of the Olympics, so each kind of race is kind of like an Olympic final because you need to bring your best and you need to be on form.” Karen Bennett, women’s four, Great Britain.

And for those dealing with disappointment, the next round of racing is an opportunity for redemption and to look to the future.

“We really need to go back to the drawing board and see what we can do. At this stage, Wednesday is a chance for redemption. But you know this is the first year of Paris (Olympic Games 2024) as well as the last year of Tokyo, and I think we need to look at the future as well as the next few days,” says Philip Doyle, men’s double sculls, Ireland.